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THE
ADVENTURES
O F
Mr George Edwards,
A
CREOLE
GYAGYOGYAGYOGYA
Hill, Johns, 1716? - 1995.
1
THE
ADVENTURES
OF
Mr George Edwards,
A
CREOLE.
J
LONDON:
Printed for T. OSBORNE, in Gray's-Inn.
MDCCLI.
English
srapton
1.2142
44248
[v]
THE
PREFACE.
I
T has been too much a Cu-
ftom among the modern
Writers of Romance, to ex-
poſe Perſons inſtead of Vices or
Follies; and to draw from real
Life, the Characters of a Work,
the very. Plan and Intent of
which befpeaks it Fiction.
Where the Author has been ho-
neft enough to avoid this; or
where, from a more juſt Idea
of the Nature of the Thing he
fets about, he has been in no
A 3
Temp-
vi PREFACE.
Temptation to fall into a Pro-
ceedure, that has no real Con-
nection with it, the world has
too often executed the ill-na-
tur'd Office for him, and has
conftru'd that into perfonal A-
bufe, which he intended as ge-
neral Admonition. In this
Cafe, the Crime is theirs who
apply, not his, who has hap-
pen'd to write what was capa-
ble of Application; as indeed,
every general Cenſure muſt ne-
ceffarily be more or lefs fo, if
founded on Foibles that really
exiſt.
UNDER theſe Diſadvantages,
an Author, who publiſhes a
Piece of this Kind, can do no
more
PREFACE.
vii
more than enter his Caveat a-
gainſt fuch Treatment of his
Works. It is with great Seriouf-
neſs, that the Writer of theſe
Adventures declares, that there
is in the World, no fuch Per-
fon as the Hero of them, or as
any other Character deſcribed
in them: The Perfons are all,
fo far at leaſt, Tom Jones's and
Clariffa's: Refemblances there
are, which may, perhaps in
fome Parts of them, in fome
Degree, fit certain particular
Perfons, but they are intended
as Characters of various Vices,
Follies, &c. and not as De-
ſcriptions of particular Perfons.
IN
A 4
viii PRE FACE.
In this Light only the Au-
thor gives them to the World;
declaring that he means no par-
ticular Perfon by any of them,
nor knows any Perfon to whom
any one of them can with Ju-
ftice be appropriated. After
this, if any body chufes to
apply them, or to charge all the
Foibles defcribed under any of
them, on any private Perſon,
who may happen to be poffefs'd
of fome one of them, the Cen-
fure ought to fall where the
Fault lies, that is, on him who
forces the Words into a Senfe.
the Author never intended to
expreſs by them.
CON-
[ix] :
C
CONTENTS.
BOOK the First,
Containing about as much Bufinefs
as the firſt Act of a Comedy.
CHAP. I.
The History of a Person who will be of
Ufe to us hereafter..
CHA P. II.
Page I
A
In the Style and Manner, tho' without
the Terms, of Heraldry.
CHA P. III.
P. 10
Which if the gentle Reader chufes to call
the first of this Hiftory, he has our
free Leave.
P. 19
CHA P.
X
CONTENTS.
CHA P. IV.
The Bufinefs of which the Reader wants
either Penetration, or a good Opinion of
us, if he cannot guess without our Af-
fiftance.
Page 27
.
CHAP. V.
ATreaty fet on foot between the Father of
our Hero and Uncle Jeremy. A Voy-
age to England.
CHA P. VI.
P. 34
Our Hero join'd by a Companion whom
be neither knew nor expected.
CHAP. VII.
P. 41
A Meeting of our Hero with his Uncle ;
bis Friend is reduced to a very unlucky
}
Perplexity.
C.HAP.
P. 46
VIII.
Mr Edwards puts himself under the Care
of bis Uncle: His Friend is not treated
quite fo well as he deferves.
P. 53
BOOK
CONTENTS.
**
BOOK the Second,
In which our Hero commences a
Man of Pleaſure.
CHAP. I.
A Coffee-boufe Acquaintance offers his
Services to Mr Edwards,
CHAP. II.
Page 59
Preparations made by Uncle Jeremy for
our Hero's making a Figure.
CHA P. III.
p. 65
Containing a Love-letter and a Portrait
of the first Jewel in the Creation. p. 75
CHA P. IV.
A Vifit to the Lady: The first public Ap-
pearance of our Hero.
CHAP. V.
P. 84
An unexpected Meeting between Mr Ed-
wards and Uncle Jeremy; a new Sup-
ply advanced, and the Conditions of it.
P. 90
CHAP.
xii
CONTENTS.
CH A P. VI.
Mr Edwards is introduced to a Rout.
Character of a remarkable little Lady.
CHAP. VII.
Page 94
A Differtation on the modern Art of
Humbugging.
CHAP. VIII.
P. 100
The Happiness of a Family Acquaintance
and the Advantages that fometimes ac-
crue from it.
1
BOOK the Third,
P. 112
In which the Hero makes great Ad-
vances toward becoming a Philofo-
pher of the firſt Claſs.
CHAP. I.
A Scheme of Beau Pliant's on our Her.
does not fucceed perfectly to his Ex-
pectation.
P. 117
CHA P.
CONTENTS.
xiii
· CHA P. II.
A Vifit from the Friend of our Hero to
Mr Pliant: The Strange Confequences
it was attended with.
CHA P. III.
The Gratitude of a Mifer.
CHAP. IV.
Page 129
P. 135
A Converfation in St James's Park.
CHA P. V.
-
p. 139
Character of a very
very amiable Lady;
whom the Reader will fee Mr Edwards
is in a fair Way to be very well ac-
quainted with.
CHA P. VÌ
P. 148
Character of Dr Single Dofe. Short
Mention of Mrs Single Dofe, and the
Plan of their public Entertainments.
CHAP. VII.
P. 155
A Converfation at a Philofophical Club
interrupted by a very furprising Incident.
P. 159
xiv
CONTENT S,
2
CHA P. VIII.
An Explanation of the terrible Alaran
given in the laft Chapter. Page 167
+
BOOK the Fourth.
In which he does not get a bit nearer
his Miſtreſs, than where we juſt
now left him.
CHA P. I.
A Meeting of a Philofophic Body, and the
Entertainment afforded by the Members.
CHA P. II.
P173
An Ichthyological Differtation upon a
dry'd Whiting.
CHA P. III.
P. 180
The Converfation at Dr Single Dofe's re-
newed. Character and Hiftory of Mr
Storm.
P. 188
CHAP.
CONTENTS.
XY
CHA P. IV.
An odd Introduction of a very fingular
Character:
$
CHA P. V.
·Page 195
A Vifit from Mr Edwards to Mifs
Oddly, from which the Reader will
form fome Strange Prefages.
CHA P. VI.
لے
P. 204
Mr Edwards and bis new Acquaintance
come towards an Explanation. p. 211
CHAP. VII.
In which Mr Edwards and Mifs Oddly
abfolutely understand one another. p.219
C.HA P. VIII.
Two Love-Letters in a new Style. p. 224
CHA P. IX.
Our Hero receives very unexpectedly a freſh
Supply, before he wants it.
CHA P. X.
P. 228
Mr Edwards falls in the Way of a new
Adventure.
P. 234
CHAP.
xvi
CONTENTS.
1
CHAP.
XI.
Mr Edwards makes violent Love to the
celebrated Mrs Conqueft. Page 238
CHA P. XII.
In which Mr. Edwards and Mrs Con-
queft part much better Friends than
they met.
CHAP.
P. 244
XIII.
The Friend of our Hero is engaged in a
very important Negotiation.
CHAP. XIV.
P. 252
Meeting between two very accomplish'd
People.
CHAP. XV.
257
A Lady is introduced to Mrs Conqueſt's
Acquaintance.
Сн
C. HA P. XVI.
262
;
Our Hero's Fate determined in a Manner
very unexpected to himself.
267
THE
THE
ADVENTURES
OF
Mr George Edwards,
A CRE O L E.
BOOK the Firſt,
Containing about as much Bufinefs
as the first Act of a Comedy.
CHAP. I.
The Hiftory of a Perfon who will be of
Ufe to us hereafter.
W
O HOEVER has had Occa-
fion to viſit the lower Part
of Scotland-yard, muſt have
obferved an obſcure Door-
way, long fince diveſted of
the Apparatus with which it once was
capable of being fhut; and at prefent
ferving
B
2
The ADVENTURES of
ferving only to diſcover a dark Paſſage,
the nightly Scene of many a tender Court-
ſhip. At the Extremity of this duſky
Entrance appears, behind the Barrier of
a ſpiked Hatch, the triple-bolted Gate
of the very eminent and amiable Mr
Jeremy Edwards.
THE Apartment was originally deſtin-
ed to the Service of one of the lower Do-
meſtics of the Archbiſhop of Canterbury.
It belonged to a Sett of Rooms, of old
allotted for the Reception of that Pre-
late and his Retinue, if it any Time
the Buſineſs of the Privy Council ſhould
detain him later at St James's than the
proper Hours for his croffing the Water.
The Tranquillity of our Country has now
rendered late Counfels unneceffary; and
the Apartments, in lefs happy Times
appointed to fuch Ufes, have been a long
while alienated from their original Pro-
prietor. The humble Part of them,
which is to be the Scene of much Bufi-
nefs in the fucceeding Hiſtory, had been
fome Years before given, by a Perſon
of Faſhion, to a difcarded Footman,
whoſe unmannerly Demand for Wages
my Lord had not been in a Humour to
comply with, juft at that Time; and
from
}
*
3
Mr George Edwards, a Creole.
from this Perfon, who had ventured to
borrow on that Fund, and the additional
joint Security of a neighbouring Tradef-
man, about a twentieth Part of the Sum
of our Mr Edwards, the Apartment,
after the difmiffing the Friend to the
Marfbalfea, and obtaining an Agreement
of the Repayment of the Sum by Weekly
Portions of One and Six-pence each,
from the Principal, devolved, by way
of Security, to the Creditor.
曹
​MR Edwards, who was a Man of great
Prudence and Economy, found many
Reaſons for being pleafed with his new
Habitation. He grew fo fond of it, in-
deed, after a few Weeks, that he had
the Generofity, in Confideration of an
Affignment of it in Form, together with
another of a due Proportion of the Debt,
from the noble Donor, to acquit the
Principal in the Obligation, and, at the
fame Time, to releafe alfo his Friend.
from the Priſon, on Condition of his
entering into the Weekly Engagement
in the other's Place, and bringing fome
reſponſible Perſon to promife that he
fhould keep up to his Payments more
regularly than the other had done.
B 2
THAT
4
The ADVENTURES of
THAT his Habitation was in a Place
privileged from the Danger of Arreſts,
could be, indeed, a Circumftance of no
Confequence to Mr Edwards, who, con-
fcious that the Advantage of buying with
ready Money was more than adequate
to the higheſt Intereft, never made any
Debts: But he did not lofe the Confide-
ration of it's being in a Neighbourhood
where almoſt every body wanted Money
ſo heartily as to be glad of it on any
Terms. Additionally to this, it's con-
fifting only of one Room rendered it
leſs expenſive in point of Furniture; and
the Difficulty of finding the Way to it
gave him fufficient Ground for Hopes
that his common Acquaintance, if he had
not yet been able intirely to get rid of
fuch People, would not think it worth
while to fearch him out there; and that
only thofe, by whom he was to get
fomething, would give him the Trouble
of opening his Door for their Admit-
tance.
As the gentle Reader is feldom con-
tent with an Account of the Life and
Actions of a great Man, unleſs he is alſo
informed of certain other lefs effential
Circum-
1
Mr George Edwards, a Creole.
5
Circumſtances in regard to him, we ſhall
comply fo far with the Cuſtom eſtabliſhed
from Time immemorial, by Authors of
the Claſs to which we flatter ourſelves
this egregious Work will declare we
have the Honour to belong, as to inform
the World, that Mr Jeremy Edwards,
the Subject of our prefent Relation, was
a Man of five Feet, nine Inches, and three
Quarters high; his Age about Sixty-
feven; his Perfon meagre; his Counte-
nance fallow, and deeply wrinkled; his
Eyes far funk in their Sockets, but carry-
ing the conſtant Marks of an uncommon
Scrutiny and Difcernment in them; and
his Beard a Sable, filvered: It's Colour,
indeed, was ufually more diftinguiſhable
on a Saturday than at other Times, as
on that Day it was ordinarily about one
Third of an Inch in Length.
His Habit was always Mourning;
that Kind of Dreſs, befide it's peculiar
Gravity, having the Advantages of be-
ing bought cheapeſt at fecond-hand, and
requiring the leaft expenfive Parapher-
nalia in Sword, Buckles, and the other
common Appendages. His Wig was a
Tye, which, befide the Advantage it en-
joyed, in common with the Coat, of
Gravity,
B 3
6 The ADVENTURES of
Gravity, and an Appearance of Impor-
tance without Expence; by drawing the
two Tyes together in a Knot under his
Chin at Bed-time, very comfortably ſerved
in the Place, and faved the Expence, of
Night Caps.
IS
His Meals were temperate, and were
indeed one lefs in Number than moſt
People's; the Phyficians having per-
fuaded him, as he had liftened to their
Difcourfe at the Coffee-houfe, that Sup-
pers were unwholeſome. His Hours
were early, for he had long taught him-
felf to cheat Life of all that Time which
could not be enjoyed without the Expence
of Fire and Candle. His Mornings were
employed in looking over his Accounts,
and at his Devotions; the Park took
up his Noon; and, from the Time of
his Dinner to that of his retiring to his
Repoſe, he might be always found at
Will's Coffee-boufe, where he got Law
from the loquacious Mr Tongue, as cheap
as he did Phyfic from the Debates of the
very eminent Dr Greek and Dr Cane:
and where, after picking up the News
of the Day in the fame Manner, without
joining in any Converfation, he employed
the Reft of the tedious Period in reading
;
one
*
Mr George Edwards, a Creole.
7
7
{
one after another all the Daily, and the
Weekly Papers.
THE Coffee at theſe Houſes always
gave him the Head-ach; the Tea, he ob-
ferved, made him low-ſpirited; and, as
for Chocolate, he could never ſleep after
it: In Confequence of this, he never
drank any thing in this Time but two
Glaffes of Water, which the Waiters
brought to him without being called up-
on, at ſtated Periods; and he paid Quar-
terly at the Bar, at the Rate of Three-
pence Half-penny per Week, for Houſe-
room.
THE Companion of this Gentleman's
Retirement was a Female of the Name
of Ruth, who had been taught to think
ſhe had great Reaſon to applaud his
Tenderneſs for her, tho' fhe had no
Knowledge of what was her real Con-
nection with him.
MRS Ruth, who, at the Period at
which our Hiſtory commences, was about
Six-and-twenty, had been bred up under
her Maſter's Eye from an Infant. His
Acquaintance with her had commenced
fome time before her Birth. Her Mo-
ther,
B 4
The ADVENTURES of
1
ther, who unfortunately was never mar-
ried, with how much Juftice we ſhall not
pretend to fay, had fworn the Fruit of
her unlawful Amufements to him; and
he had taken the Child very early under
his immediate Protection, from a Con-
fideration that it was eaſy to maintain
her at Home, at a ſmaller Expence than
he muſt be at Abroad for her, and that
ſhe might very foon be employed ſo as
to make her rather a Profit than an Ex-
pence to him.
UPON this Plan the little Ruth was
very early inſtructed in the making Cab-
bage Nets, and Purſes: From thence
The went through the whole Round of
Employments fince idly pretended to
have been invented for the Children of
the Foundling Hospital; and was of ſo to-
wardly and induftrious a Diſpoſition,
that, by the Age of ſeven Years, fhe
more than paid for her Food and Rai-
ment. From that Time fhe became
ferviceable to her Guardian alfo in a far-
ther Capacity. He had been, till then,
accuſtomed to pay one of the Nymphs
of the Yard, at the Rate of Five-pence
Weekly, for employing an Hour every
Morning in the cleaning his Apartment.
The
Mr George Edwards, a Creole.
9.
The little Ruth now became able, at her
leifure Hours, to take off that Expence;
and, in fine, the old Gentleman, whofe
temperate Life had preferved to his late
Period that Vigour which the modern
polite World uſually deplore the Lofs of
at Three-and-thirty, a few Years after
found Means to place the gentle Ruth
in the Stead of the Evening Damfels of
the Park, and to fave himſelf the only
Three Half-pences he had for many
Years been capable of accufing as ex-
travagant and unneceffary.
B 5
CHAP.
10
The ADVENTURES of
!
CHA P. II.
In the Style and Manner, tho' without
the Terms, of Heraldry.
WR
as
RITERS in the Epic, whether
in Poetry or Profe, have general-
ly taken Care to deduce the Perſon whom
they ſelect for their Hero from high
and noble Lineage. In antient Days,
when Gods were more numerous,
well as more familiar, with the good
People of this World, than Men will
be brought to believe they are at this
Time, an Author hardly thought a
Man qualified to cut two or three Peo-
ple's Throats, unleſs he had a Deity,
Male or Female, for his Parent, or, at
the fartheft, for his Anceftor: In after
Times, when the Inhabitants of the up-
per Regions made fewer Vifits among
us, Kings and Emperors were ftill in
being; and the Author, if he could not
find the Way to deduce the Principal in
his Story legitimately from one or other
of thefe People, feldom or never failed of
paying his Mother's Chaſtity the Com-
pliment of introducing fome body of
this fort to the inmoft Receffes of it,
juſt
Mr George Edwards, a Creole.
II
juſt three Quarters of a Year before his
Birth.
THERE is great Difference, however,
between Romance and Hiftory: The
Former, as it fets out in utter Defiance
of Truth, and commonly of Reaſon too,
may make it's own Way to the Mag-
nificent; the Latter, as it is nothing, if
not founded on Facts, is tied down to
much narrower Limits.
ALL this we have judged neceffary to
prefix to our introducing the Hero of
this our Hiſtory to the Reader's Acquain-
tance; as he was indeed a Defcendant of
a Family, of which the Gentleman, a
Sketch of whofe Character has furniſhed
out the preceding Chapter, was not the
leaft honourable Branch.
THE Love of Money, and the Care
to improve it, feem to have been he-
reditary Virtues in the Mr Jeremy Ed-
wards already celebrated. His Father,
a Perſon ever attached to it in the cloſeſt
Manner, had, in the Courſe of his Ap-
plication, often fallen upon particular
Methods, which over-fcrupulous People
might have called exceptionable; and
having,
B 6
12
The ADVENTURES of
having, on one unlucky Occafion, car
ried thefe a little too far, he ſubjected
himſelf to a Cataſtrophe which threatened
to put a Period to every Hope of his
fucceeding in it again.
MR Thomas Edwards, for fuch was
this Gentleman's Name, had been origi-
nally a Foot-boy to an humble Mer-
chant, in one of the dirty Streets behind
St Paul's. This Gentleman had received
him fo young from the Country, that
he either had very little Idea of his Pa-
rents or Relations, or had the Prudence
to conceal who they were, by pretend-
ing fo. The Reader's Curiofity, there-
fore, as to the Origin of the Family of
the Edwards's, tho' a very juſt and lau-
dable one, muft neceffarily remain un-
fatisfied from this our Hiſtory.
The Fortunes of Mr Thomas's Mafter
had been continually improving, while
he lived in his Service, and his own had
improved with them. From Foot-boy
he became at length Butler, and, in this
Capacity, ferved till the Age of Thirty-
fix; at which Period his Mafter died,
after having, for fome Years, ſpent a
great Part of his Time at his Villa near
Highgate,
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 13
Highgate, and left the Management of
his Affairs in Town to his old and faith-
ful Servant. Mr Thomas had fo well
profited of his Confidence, during the
latter Part of his Service, that he now
found himſelf worth Three Hundred
Pounds, befide a confiderable Legacy
bequeathed him for his faithful Ser-
vices.
WITH this Stock, amounting in the
Whole to Five Hundred and Fifty
Pounds, he fet up as a reputable Trader.
He had fo well informed himſelf of all
the common Methods of Gain during
the Period of his ferving the Maker of
his Fortune, that, in a few Years, he
raiſed his Capital to five Times it's ori-
ginal Value, and was in a Way to have
made a very fair Fortune, when having
been unhappily diſcovered in promoting
the Stripping the Houfe of a Perfon of
fome Confepuence, while the Family
were in the Country, and buying the
Plunder at a fifth Part of it's Value,
the Cataſtrophe already hinted at very
ſuddenly ſhifted the Scene to one of his
Majefty's Plantations.
PRE-
14
The ADVENTURES of
PREVIOUSLY to this unfortunate
Event, Mr Edwards had been fome
Years married; but as this Alliance had
not at all tended to the aggrandizing his
Fortune, or ennobling his Progeny, we
have not judged it neceſſary to take any
more notice of it before, than the Huf-
band himſelf did afterwards. He had
found Means of fending this Lady off
with the greateſt Part of his Fortune,
fome Days before his Tryal, with In-
ftructions to follow him with it after his
Tranſportation, as he was well informed
this muſt be the Sentence; but, by fome
malevolent Fate or other, he had the
ill Luck to find himſelf diſappointed
in this particular, and arrived in the Co-
lony he was deſtined to alone, and a
Beggar. After having ſerved as long
an Apprenticeſhip in this new World
to one Miſtreſs, as Jacob did for both
his, he at length married her, and, find-
ing means to get rid of her in a Year or
two afterwards, he fat down, in the
feventeenth Year of his Exile, Maſter of
a much better Fortune than that he had
left behind him.
THE
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 15
THE Lady, by whofe Death Mr
Edwards became poffeffed of this new
Eſtabliſhment, had borne him a Son du-
ring the laft Year of his Servitude, an
Event, which perhaps had not a little
facilitated his more honourable Engage-
ments. From this Son, who afterwards
marry'd the only Daughter of a neigh-
bouring Planter, and by that Means
joined two very confiderable Eftates
which lay contiguous, defcended Mr
George Edwards, the Hero of our fu-
ture Story.
MRS Edwards, whom we have be-
fore mentioned as left in England, with
Injunctions of following her Hufband to
his new Place of Refidence, finding her-
felf poffeffed of fo confiderable a For-
tune as two thouſand Pounds, had taken
the Advice of her Friends, and refolved
not to cross the falt Seas after a Huf-
band, who was little better than a Rogue
neither She immediately threw herſelf
into Buſineſs, in a Trade that has no
other requifite but Caſh, namely, that
of a Pawnbroker; and though fhe did
not think it fafe to marry, as fhe could
not
Tas
16
The ADVENTURES of
not be affured of her former Hufband's
not returning, fhe very prudently took
a fpruce Journeyman into her Family,
who tranfacted the Buſineſs of her Shop,
and by whom ſhe had a Son, the Fere-
my Edwards of our preceding Chap-
ter; for, having no legal Title to his
Father's Name, he was always called by
that of his Mother.
THE Improvement of Money was a
Virtue derived therefore to Mr Jeremy
from his Anceſtors on every Side: He
no fooner was able to write, than he be-
came of uſe in the Shop, and by the
Age of Fifteen was fuch a Proficient in
the Buſineſs, that he was judged able to
manage it entirely, under the Direction
of his Mother; and, as that Lady had
now no farther Service for her Journey-
man, the poor Fellow was turned out
of Doors to ftarve, as the Drones are
from the Hive by the reft of the Bees,
after they have laid the Foundation for
a fucceeding Generation; the only End
for which the Females of more Species.
than the Infect kind fuppofe thofe of
the other Sex to have been formed.
THE
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 17
THE Mother of Mr Jeremy lived to
fee him in his forty-eighth Year; at
which Period fhe bid good bye to this
troublefome Life, full of Years and Sa-
tisfaction, leaving her Son in Poffeffion
of the whole Fortune; which when he
had fold off the Pledges, and got all to-
gether, he found amount to more than
eight thouſand Pounds. With this Stock
he quitted the Buſineſs he had been bred
to, and retired to the Cell in which the
Reader found him, at the fetting out
of this Hiftory. He there found the
way to make a profitable Uſe of it, by
lending Money to People, who, hav-
ing no real Security to leave for it, were
obliged to be content with worfe Condi-
tions as to Intereft, than thoſe which the
injudicious and cenforious World call
exorbitant, in the Trade of the Pawn-
broker.
IF thou ſhouldft imagine, gentle Rea-
der, that we have been fomewhat per-
plexed and intricate in the Conduct of
this Chapter, we are to remind thee,
that, while deducing Genealogies, it be-
comes us to write like Genealogiſts: and
we
18
The ADVENTURES of
we give thee this Notice in good time,
to prevent Surprize or Cenfure, that
thou fhalt find, thro' the Courſe of this
our Work, we will be dull, be obfcure,
be impertinent, be any thing in the
World, rather than be out of Cha-
racter.
CHAP.
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 19
CHA P. III.
Which if the gentle Reader chufes to call
the first of this Hiftory, he has our
free Leave.
MR
R George Edwards, the Son of
Captain Nicholas Edwards, the
Defcendant of the great Thomas Ed-
wards, Efq; and ally'd, by Marriage,
to the Family of Major James Williams,
Defcendant of the honourable Colonel
Williams (for every Man in theſe Iſlands
is as naturally a Colonel, as every Ger-
man is a Baron) was a fine tall Boy, for
a Creole very handfome, the immediate
Heir to an immenfe Fortune, and was
by every body allowed to be a Gentle-
man of one of the beft and antienteft
Families in the Ifland.
HE was, at the Period at which our
Hiſtory commences, barely nineteen :
He had been bred at home with an in-
dulgent Mother, among a Family of
Slaves, under the Command of a Father
who had very little leſs Pride, and much
more Tyranny, than Alexander the Great;
and he was accordingly as proud, as pee-
viſh,
ΤΟ
The ADVENTURES of
!
viſh, and as infolent, as Indulgence and
bad Example could render him. He
had, however, many amiable Qualities at
bottom: He was generous to Profufion;
fo compaffionate, that his but coming in
the Way of the Puniſhment of a Negro
was a certain Reprieve to the Wretch
and fo naturally open and ingenuous in
his Difpofition, that no Confideration
was ever able to make him deny, or
even but difguife, his Thoughts.
;
IT has been an Obſervation of the
moral Writers, who have not been for
allowing too much Merit to human Na-
ture, that many of our Virtues are the
Produce of our Pride. Certain it is,
that this Opennefs of Temper in our
Hero was grounded on his holding
himſelf too high for Difingenuity, and
knowing his own Rank too well to
ſuppoſe there was any body he need
condefcend to conceal his Thoughts
from; but we are not able to diſcover,
that his Ingenuity was lefs a Virtue for
this, or even that this Pride was crimi-
nal. If every Man would remember,
on all Occaſions, his own Rank; or, if
he have none in civil Life, the very
Dignity of his Nature; it would prevent
his
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 21
1
his defcending to a thouſand Things that
himſelf has Occafion to be afhamed of,
and his Friends and Acquaintance to be
forry for.
AMONG other it's good Difpofitions,
the Heart of Mafter George was very
open to Love: He was in a Country
where there were very few Objects for
ſuch a Paffion, and where, unfortunately,
there was one fo much fuperior to the
reſt in Perſon and Accompliſhments,
and ſo vaſtly inferior to himſelf in point
of Fortune, that fhe at once rendered it
impoffible for a Perſon of his Turn either
to think of any body elſe, or of herſelf.
THE Young Gentleman had ſtruggled
againſt a Tenderneſs for this Lady, from
a very early Period of his Life: But his
Pride, added to his Father's frequent
and earneſt Admonitions againſt it, had
at length got the better of every
Thought that would have hurt his Inte-
reft; when falling in one Day at her
Father's Plantation, on a familiar Vifit,
he found the young Lady in Tears; the
unlicked Son of a Neighbour Planter,
folliciting her in very coarſe and hardly
civil Terms; and the Father feconding.
his
22
The ADVENTURES of
his Suit with the common Threats and
Promiſes on thefe Occafions of imme-
diate Beggary if he refuſed, and of his
utmoft Penny if ſhe would comply.
THE Common Benevolence of our
Hero's Temper would have led him
to plead in the Lady's Favour, on
fuch an Occafion, had he wanted ano-
ther Motive; but his own Honour
feemed, according to his high Senfe of
it, to be in fome Degree alfo concerned
in the Cafe. Though he had never open-
ed his Lips to the Lady on a Love Sto-
ry, he could not but look upon this
Youngſter as a fort of Rival, and, very
juſtly condemning him as unworthy the
Woman he dared to follicit in fuch a
Manner, he told him, fomewhat rough-
ly, theſe were not the Methods to gain
a Heart that was of any Value, and
that no Hand was worth accepting
without one. I applaud the Lady's
• Refuſal of you,' continued he, and
• fhould do ſo, though you had my
Fortune: And Mr Wentworth! fays
he, addreffing himſelf to the Father,
let me prevail with you to pardon
Mifs July, and difmifs her Lover:
You know nothing of her Worth,
• Sir,
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 23
<-
Sir, if you imagine fhe can't com-
mand a better Match than this at any
time: Nay,' concluded he, with fome
Earneftneſs, I'll tax my own Eſtate
with the Price of all that follows,
if you find Reafon to repent taking
ing my Advice.'
•
C
THE Father confented, and the Lo-
ver had his final Difmiffion; while the
young Lady, who paid no more Atten-
tion to that Circumftance, than to the
Compliments her Father was making
Mafter Edwards, threw herſelf at his
Feet; and, feizing his Hand with a rap-
turous Eagernefs, waſhed it with a Pro-
fuſion of thoſe Tears, which he had in-
tended not to provoke, but to dry up.
It was fome Minutes before fhe ſpoke;
at length, O Sir,' ſays fhe, • where-
<fore am I to be more undone by you,
⚫ than I could have been even by him!
C
Why this additional Claim to that Ef
< teem, that Adoration you had from me
• before! I would not tell you, that to have
lived with him were lefs than to deſpair
of you: I would not tell you this, but
• that I know to be what I am, and to
defpair of you, is but one thing.'
<
Here
24
The ADVENTURES of
"
C
Here a freſh Torrent of Diftrefs inter-
rupted her for fome Moments: At
length, recovering her Voice, and ftill
eagerly preffing his Hand, Pardon,'
fays fhe, fweeteft, greateſt, perfecteſt
of God's Images! Pardon a Frankneſs
my Soul has learnt from yours. I
⚫ cannot diffemble with the Man who I
fee eſteems me, tho' he dares not love
< me: And, with the fame Truth with
which I own this to you, I tell you,
• concluded fhe, I would not liften to a
< Paffion, that, while it made me bleſſed,
• would make you miſerable.'
OUR Hero had ftood, during this
intereſting Period, motionleſs as a Sta-
the
tue, with his Eyes fixed upon
Ground: The Lady ftill retained her
Pofture, but her Head now funk, thro'
mere Fatigue of Soul, upon his Hand;
and the Father ſtood at a little Diſtance
ſtaring, and, with open Mouth and va-
cant Countenance, feeming at once to
fwallow the whole Difcourfe, and digeft
no Syllable of it. He was by much
the moſt at Eafe of the three, and there-
fore it was natural enough that he ſhould
break the Silence. • I don't know what
• fhe
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 25
'fhe means by all this outlandiſh Talk,
not I,' fays he: 'Tis what ſhe reads;
I fuppofe, out of the Play-books your
People a lent her; but you might take
her off of her Knees, howfomdever,
one wou'd think, Squire! thof' you
be fo much above her.'
·
CERTAIN it is, that neither had the
Lady recollected her own Situation, nor
he that fhe continu'd in it, till this Ad-
monition: He rais'd her with great
Tenderneſs, and, throwing his Arms
about her, imprinted on her cold Lips a
Kifs, that gave them Life and Warmth
again: He looked earneſtly upon her,
and, after a Paufe of fome Moments, ut-
tered with great Agitation of Mind,
• Wou'd there were any thing proper for
me to fay to you', and burft from her
without Ceremony.
<
<
THE Father ftar'd after him for
fome Time, and then,turning about, told
his Daughter peevishly, A mote a ſaid
good by t'ye, Dog, howfomdever, a
body would think, Zw-s, what
an he be fo rich, you and I are Chrif
tians fure as well as he, a'nt we.'
The
<
C
26
The ADVENTURES of
1
The Girl was filent: She knew there were
Circumſtances under which it were poor
to defcend to Forms: She retir'd to re-
poſe a Moment in her Apartment, as
the Reader may alfo do, if he pleaſes, af-
ter fo bufy a Scene, before we lead him
into a new Chapter.
CHAP.
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 27
CHA P. IV.
The Business of which the Reader wants
either Penetration, or a good Opinion of
us, if he cannot guess without our Af-
fiftance.
TH
HO' our Hero was fenfible there
was nothing for him to fay to the
Lady, who had fo frankly diſcloſed her
Heart to him; he knew full well, that
there was a Perfon to whom he had
much to declare upon the Subject. He
immediately return'd Home, and, telling
his Father he had fomething of Impor-
tance to ſay, retir'd with him to his
Cloſet.
.
<
C
.
I have been, Sir,' fays he, at our
Neighbour Wentworth's'. The Fa-
ther's Colour chang'd at the Name:
I have prevented,' continues he, that
Brute of a Parent from facrificing his
Daughter to the Arms of Will Stanley.'
And what Bufinefs,' the Father was
beginning to exclaim with great Earneſt-
nefs and Vociferation. • Sir,' fays the
Son, with great Sedatenefs, I begg'd
you to hear me; if you refufe it, I
• have
C 2
'
28
The ADVENTURES of
•
C
have done.' The Father, with fome
Difficulty, bridled both his Paffion and
his Voice, and the Youth proceeded :
There is not a Thought in my Heart
that I wou'd condefcend to difguife
• even to you: I do not love the Girl:
I have already been at the Pains of
conquering the first Attacks of that
Paffion. As I do not love her, I am
an unprejudiced Judge in my own
Cauſe, and I confefs to you, Sir, that I
<am fo much convinced of the Superiori-
ty of the Qualifications fhe poffeffes to
the Advantages of Fortune, that, if I
can prevail with you to think in the fame
• Manner, I will marry her: Without your
Approbation, I will never do either
that, or any thing of Confequence.'
C
.
.
'
<
THEE art mad and bewitched Lad,
for certain,' exclaims the Father ;
they have put Love-powder in thy
Punch, or fome d-n'd Trick o'that
• Faſhions : Marry a draggle-tail'd
Wench, without a Half-penny! Why,
thee mayft marry a Duchefs, Boy.
• Thee muſt go to England, Child, to
• look after a Wife for thee; there's no
body upon the Inland worthy to untie
thy Cravat. Why, Child, thee doft'nt
(
"know
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 29
• know thyself.
<
quotha!
Call thee proud,
To an infinite deal more Matter of
this Kind, which made it's Way from
the good Man in an uninterruptible Tor-
rent, the Youth very coolly anfwered:
I afk'd your Approbation only, Sir;
I know you are the beft Judge whether
you ought to give it; and I am con-
tent with your Refufal: You fhall
• hear no more of this, nor will I think
• any more of it..
C
THE Father ſhook him by the Hand,
told him he was an honeft good Lad,
and he wished he had ten Times as much
for his Sake; and, after bidding him,
whatever he did, never demean himfelf
in Marriage, walk'd whiſtling away to his
Sugar-houfe. The Youth took three or
four hafty Turns about the Room, then
fat down to the Efcritore, and wrote
to the Lady in the following Terms:
Madam,
'I LEFT you abruptly an Hour ago,
• becauſe I had no Right to propoſe to
you what I knew another muft de-
• termine
C
C 3
30
The ADVENTURES of
• termine for me. I have afk'd my Fa-
•ther's Permiffion to offer myſelf to
C
6
you as a Lover; he has refus'd it;
• and I ſhall never difobey him. I
• will not give you Pain by picturing to
you what I feel on this Occafion; 'tis
more friendly to tell you, that Love
is a Paffion you may conquer. 'Tis
long fince I had got the intire Maſtery
• over a Tenderneſs I much earlier con-
ceived for you: This Accident only revi-
ved thofe Thoughts; and Reflection,
as it cannot warrant, will again fubdue,
• them.
6
6
If this has been poffible, in regard
to a Paffion that had you for it's Ob-
ject, doubt not but it will be eaſy to
• make any other fall to it.'
I am, Madam,
Your very Obedient,
Humble Servant,
GEORGE EDWARDS.
THE Lady had not imagined there
would be fuch an Application in her
Favour. She never felt the Lofs of her
Lover fo feverely as now that fhe knew
1
how
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 31
،
how much he was fo. She read his
Letter over and over: She faw the Cold-
nefs of the Stile was affected; but fhe
honoured him for the Affectation. O
'generous Youth,'fays fhe 'thou knoweft,
indeed, the Spirit of this Paffion: Thou
• difdaineft to employ a Power thou haſt
to make me wretched! but know I
muſt be more miferable for, that thou
• difdaineft to wifh me fo. In this
6
6
<
only thou art deceived, that thou
fuppofeft Love may be conquered.
• I know it not but for thee; but, whilft
• thou art it's Object, Coldneſs were as
impoffible as Inconftancy!'
AFTER fome more Soliloquies of this
Kind, fhe threw herfelf upon the Bed,
refuſed Comfort of all Kinds, even
Food, and pin'd in two Days into a very
dangerous Diſorder.
THE Phyſician of the Place (a Man
who had been an Apothecary in London,
till his Idleneſs and Debauchery, added
to his Ignorance, had ruin'd him there;
and who now, in a new World, and
with a new Character, difpatch'd more
to the Shades than any Ten of his former
Trade in England) did not find himſelf
C 4
able
<
32
The ADVENTURES of
able to diſcover by the Symptoms what
the Diſeaſe of his Patient was; but, every
body about her joining in affuring him
it was owing to Love, he acquiefced in it.
He very gravely told the Father, That
Galenical Medicines wou'd be of no Effi-
cacy in this Cafe; for that Hippocrates,
the Father of Phyfic, had left it among
his Writings, that
Amor nullis eft medicabilis Herbis ;
and, therefore, chymical Remedies were
the only ones that could be proper, as
being principally drawn from the Mine-
ral Kingdom.
THE Father could not but fubmit to
the Opinion of a Man fo well acquainted
with Hippocrates; and the Daughter,
tho' fhe faw fhe was doom'd a Sacrifice
to the Ignorance of her Doctor, was in-
different enough about Life, to acquire
the Character of a ſweet-temper'd, trac-
table Girl, that took her Medicines as
regularly as if they had been Sweet-
meats.
THE Only Care of Mifs July was, in-
deed, that Mr Edwards fhould not know
of
Mr George Edwards, à Creole. 33
of her Illneſs.
She was fenfible it would
have the Appearance of an Artifice,
which her Soul was very much above;
and tho' in fo talking a Place as that
where the refided, where fo little new
preſented itſelf at any Time, that a cut
Finger was Matter of News for a Fort-
night, it was impoffible, for all her
Cautions and Intreaties, abfolutely to
prevent it's reaching his Ears: She con-
triv'd to throw People continually in his
Way, who were inftructed to tell him,
they had just met her in the Fields, or
drank Tea with her at Home; fo that,
notwithſtanding all the Harangues of the
Doctor, he became convinced her Indif-
pofition was not of Confequence enough
to make either him or herſelf uneaſy.
C 5
CHAP.
$
34
The ADVENTURES
CHAP. V.
A Treaty fet on foot between the Father of
our Hero and Uncle Jeremy. A Voy-
age to England.
PE
EOPLE who have but few Rela-
tions, generally take fufficient Pains,
unleſs they are poor ones, to find them
out. It was now many Years fince the
Father of our Hero had trac'd back his
Genealogy fo far, as to know that he
had a Relation, as he call'd him, on the
Mother's Side, fomewhere in London.
He had been at the Pains of Inquiring,
by Means of the Maſters of feveral Vef-
fels that traded backwards and forwards
from their Port to that of London, fo far as
to fatisfy himſelf of this Gentleman's Ex-
iftence and his Circumftances, and had
waited with Chriftian Patience the Pe-
riods of many Voyages for an Explana-
tion. He no fooner found, however,
that he was in being, and was a cloſe,
rich Fellow, than he wrote to him with
all the Politenefs a Weft Indian Educa-
tion cou'd infpire, to give him an Ac-
count of his Family and Affairs, and in-
treat
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 35
treat an Acquaintance with the only Re-
lation he had in the World.
MR Jeremy Edwards was as flow and
as cautious, in all his Motions, as the
Gentleman who had claim'd Kindred
with him. It was feven Months before
he difcover'd whether the Letter he re-
ceiv'd was of Confequence enough to
pay it's Poſtage; and an equal Period
elaps'd during the neceffary Inquiries, as
to the Situation and Connections of the
Writer of it; Circumftances which the
judicious Jeremy never took a Man's own
Word about.
Ar the End of this Time, it appear-
ing that Mr Thomas Edwards had a For-
tune; that there was but one Life be-
tween that Fortune and the faid Jeremy;
and that a Life, which, if he cou'd get
the Owner of it to London, wou'd not
be worth above a Year and a Half's Pur-
chafe; he wrote to his dear Brother,
as he call'd him, to inform him of the
Joy it had been to him to receive his
Letter; adding, that himſelf was de-
clining apace, and that he thought Pro-
vidence had, in this Occurrence, pointed
out to him whom he fhou'd make the
C 6
Heir
}
36 The ADVENTURES of
}
Heir of the Little Heaven had blefs'd
him with: That he was rejoic'd to hear
how difcreet and good a Lad his Nephew
was; and that, as he never yet had
known ſo near a Relation, he extremely
wifh'd to have the Happineſs of feeing
him, before he dy'd: Concluding, that,
as London was the proper Place for the
Education of a young Man who was to
make a Figure in the World, he was
not without Hope of fometime giving.
him his Bleffing there.
UNCLE Jeremy was, from the Re-
ceipt of this Letter, look'd on as the
Patron of the rifing Branch of the Fa-
mily. The young Gentleman was every-
where call'd his Heir; and, as Fame
never fails to expand her Tidings, in Pro-
portion to the Space fhe carries them
thro', this Certainty was, on that Side
the Water, never calculated at lefs than
a Hundred and Fifty Thouſand Pounds
Addition to his Fortune.
IN this Situation were the Affairs of
the Family, when the young Gentleman
had propos'd to his Father the taking
Mifs Wentworth for a Wife. Mr Ed-
wards's own Circumftances were vaftly
fuperior
Mr George Edwards, }
✩
a Créole. 37
fuperior to thoſe of that Lady's Parent;
but the Addition expected from the Un-
cle fet the Youth fo infinitely above the
Level with fuch a Family, that his Fa-
ther would have thought it as proper
for a Prince of the Blood to marry a
Scullion, as for his Son and the Heir of
his Brother to condefcend to look upon
the Daughter of a poor Planter.
His utter Diſapprobation had put a
final Period to the Lover's Intentions;
and the Lady had reconcil'd it to herſelf
to loſe him, when our Hero, having
employ'd a young Negro Wench of the
next Plantation on fome trivial Meffage,
and, almoſt accidentally, afk'd her at
her Return if fhe had feen her young
Miſtreſs that Day, found, by that un-
guarded Innocent, that the Doctor had
given her over two Days, and that his
Ignorance of her Situation had been
owing to her Care of having it kept
from him.
YOUNG Edwards had a Heart too
fenfible and too generous not to feel the
prefent Circumftance as it ought, as
well as too open and ingenuous to con
ceal it's Sentiments. He ran immediately
to
38
The ADVENTURES of
}
<
6
<
6
<
to his Father: This generous young
• Creature, Sir, is dying for me, and
has induſtriouſly conceal'd it from my
Knowledge: If you have Compaffion
or Humanity, nay, if you have but
Juſtice, do not make me acceffary to
• the Death of one who loves me, and
who, if you wou'd judge difintereſted-
ly, you wou'd own more than deferves
< me. You fay I must not marry her,
• becauſe my Fortune is immenſely great,
⚫ and her's is nothing: 'Tis therefore, Sir,
that I fhou'd marry her: Lefs than what
• I fhall have wou'd be more than enough;
• and what cou'd I, what ought my Fa-
ther to wifh more, than to confer an
Obligation on one who has it in her
Power to return it a thouſand Fold,
to make me happy for ever.
Can
I fuffer her to die in Mifery, who wiſhes
nothing but to make me live in Hap-
< pineſs.
•
6
<
'
WHY,' replies the Father, as for
your marrying her, George, for the
• Matter of that, I fhou'd not be fo
• much againſt it if I was fure as how
• fhe wou'd die for certain within this
Day or two; for, fo far as that goes,
• I wou'd not wish her to die miferable,
Cas
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 39
<
as you ſay, no more nor yourſelf; but,
as for that Doctor, you know ever
• fince a told me as how Dobbin was
• only lazy, and the poor Thing died
in the Mill but three Quarters of an
Hour afterwards, I'm refolv'd never
• to take his Word about any Soul's Life
or Death again. Befides all that,
• Women are deceitful, as every body
knows; and mahap this is no more
nor a Trick, and he'll no fooner a
got you faſt but ſhe'll jump out a Bed,
and tell you as how ſhe'll live to make
your Heart ach.’
'
C
6
.
C
SIR,' replies the Youth with great
Earneftnefs, I have promis'd to obey
you: You cannot aſk more of me;
but I will not hear an unhappy Crea-
ture, one whom I have made fo,
treated with this Cruelty, while fhe
is dying for me.' He was going
on with great Impetuofity, when the
old Man ſtopp'd him, by telling him
they had Things of more Confequence
to talk about. • Captain Jervas,' fays
he, fails o' Tueſday: You know well
enough how much your Uncle Jeremy
has long'd to fee you: Now's your
Time to go. There's nothing in the
<
C
..
varfal
40
The ADVENTURES of
<
• varfal World fo good as a Voyage to
England to cure a Love Fit: Befides,
if you ever defign to make a Man of
yourſelf, now's your Time, while you
are young, to do it.'
<
C
THE Youth ſtarted at the Propoſal;
but the Father infifted on his Compli-
ance. His Unwillingnefs, the Source
of which it was very eaſy to fee, made
the Father the more refolute. An im-
plicit Obedience to a Parent's Authority
was one of the fix'd Principles in the
Mind of this generous Youth: In Con-
fequence of this he ſubmitted to the cruel
Sentence that was now pafs'd upon him,
and, from mere Compaffion both to
himſelf and the Lady, avoided fo ten-
der and diſtreſsful a Scene as taking Leave
of her. Excluſively of what himſelf muſt
have felt from it, he confider'd that the
Shock might deſtroy a Perſon of her
weak Frame in her prefent Situation,
and, as the Sentence of his Father was
irrevocable, that it cou'd produce no
Good to either.
2
CHAP.
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 41
CHAP. VI.
Our Hero join'd by a Companion whom
be neither knew nor expected.
MR
R Wentworth, the Father of the
unhappy July, had a Brother, a
Man of great Worth and Honour, who
had ferv'd in the Army many Years.
He had diſtinguiſh'd himſelf at the Af-
fair of Dettingen, and had been found
among the Dead on the fatal Field of
Preſton-Pans; not fallen, like the Strag-
glers of that unhappy Day, alone, and
with his Heels neareſt the Scene of Ac-
tion; but, like the Roman Cataline, longe
a fuis, far from his own People, cover'd
over with Wounds, and in the Midſt of
the flaughter'd Ranks of the Enemy.
DEEDS worthy of Reward often meet
with it, while they feem to diſdain it.
An Officer among our own butcher'd
Troops might poffibly have been left dying
many Days with lefs Hurts; but the Com-
mander of the oppofite Handful, whoſe
Heart, however unjuſtifiable his Enter-
prife had been, was full of Honour and
Compaffion, no fooner faw, among the
largeſt
42 The ADVENTURES of
1
largeſt Slaughter of his Friends, an Ene-
my yet breathing, under fuch accumu-
lated Means of Death, than he order'd his
own Surgeons to attend him; in fine, he
faw him cur'd; offer'd him his own Con-
ditions, if he wou'd engage in his Caufe;
and, when he found his Loyalty to his
Sovereign unfhaken, gave him his Liber-
ty; telling him, You are my
<
tho' you will not be my Friend: I
think myſelf happy in having pre-
ferv'd a Life fo valuable, tho' it be to
fight againſt me.' The Prifoner took
his Leave with a Heart, tho' unalterable
in it's Principles, yet pierc'd with the
Senfe of his Preferver's Virtues. He de-
termin'd to change the Scene of his Ser-
vices, that he might not lift his Arm im-
mediately againſt the Perſon to whom
he ow'd his Life. He quitted the Regi-
ment he was at that Time in, and, turn-
ing his whole Fortune into Caſh, rais'd
a Company at his own Expence, and
embark'd with them on the American
Service.
MR Wentworth was lefs fucceſsful in
this generous Attempt than he deferv'd
to have been: He had the Misfortune to
find a Peace proclaim'd, before he came
to
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 43
to the deftin'd Scene of his Operations.
He diſbanded his Company, and, having
no Buſineſs in England but the folliciting
fome Employ as a Reward for his in-
tended Services, he trufted that to his
Friends, while he remained in Nova
Scotia. After receiving repeated Re-
fufals, he retir'd to his Brother's Plan-
tation, out of Humour with the World,
and determin'd to have no farther Com-
munication with it.
THE Brave and Virtuous naturally
love thoſe who are like themfelves. This
Gentleman, tho' he had liv'd now three
Months with his Brother, had fhut him-
felf up with a few favourite Books, and
had made a Point of it to be private and
fecret. His Brother was not qualify'd
to profit by, or join in, his Converfa-
tion. They met only at Meals, and
only fuch of thoſe as no other Company
were preſent at; and it was ſcarce known
that there was any body befide the ufual
Family in the Houfe by any of the
Ifland.
THO' Mr Wentworth had defpis'd and
avoided the Company of his Brother, it
was much otherwife, however, with re-
gard
44
The ADVENTURES of
gard to his charming Daughter. Juliet
had been the Companion of many of his
retir'd Hours. She had become en-
amour'd of his Virtues, even from his
own modeft Accounts of the Incidents
under which they had come in Action;
and, in Return, had made him the Con-
fidant of her Amour, if her Situation
with young Edwards cou'd be call'd
fuch.
He had entertain'd the higheſt No-
tions of that young Gentleman's Gallan-
try and Honour, from her Accounts of
the fhort Scenes in which he had been
concern'd with her; and his whole Con-
duct, as related by others, fo perfectly
agreed with the Character ſhe had given
him, that he lov'd him, tho' he had not
yet feen him, little lefs than the poor
Girl, who now deſpair'd of him.
MR Wentworth communicated to his
Niece his Refolution of going over to
England with him. She was charm'd
with the Thought of having, by this
Means, if the fhou'd live, an Opportu-
nity of continually hearing of her Lover,
and was not a little pleas'd with the
Thought of his having a Man who fo
well
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 45
well knew the World near him, in the
Scene of Temptation he was launching
into.
MR Wentworth took his laft Inftruc-
tions from the unhappy July, which he
engaged his Honour to adhere punctually
to; and, borrowing a fmall Sum of hist
Brother, embark'd that Night in the
fame Veffel with our Hero. He had,
immediately, on his fetting Foot on
board the Veffel, enquir'd after Mr Ed-
wards, and no fooner faw it under Sail,
than he inform'd him, with much Pre-
paration, that Mifs Juliet Wentworth
was dead.
THE Tears our Hero fhed on that
Occafion endear'd him to his new Friend
for ever. People, lefs calculated for be-
ing happy with one another, wou'd have
contracted a Familiarity from a Necef
fity of being ſeveral Weeks together;
but theſe made a Friendſhip that never
afterwards was diffolv'd.
CHAP.
46
The ADVENTURES of
น
CHAP. VII.
A Meeting of our Hero with his Uncle;
his Friend is reduced to a very unlucky
Perplexity.
TH
HE West Indies, to People who
don't game, is a Place of very
moderate Expence: The utmoſt a Man's
Friends expect of him, is to make them
drunk as often as they come to fee
him; and that as well there, as here, is
to be done on very moderate Conditions.
The Father of our Hero had furniſhed
him, on his Departure, with Bills, to
the Amount of five hundred Pounds
Sterling, with which he thought he
might make a very good Figure, for the
ſeven Months he intended he ſhould ſtay
in London: He had given him, howe-
ver, a general Order on his Correfpon-
dents, in Cafe of Deficiencies, and an
unlimited Bill of Credit on his Uncle
Jeremy. To this Gentleman's Care he re-
commended him in a very preffing Man-
ner; telling him, that it was altogether
upon his Account that he ſent him over,
as he had expreffed fuch a great Deſire to
fee him; and adding that, if the Money
he
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 47
he had given him was not fufficient to
maintain him like his Son, he defired he
would advance whatever was proper,
and that he would anfwer his Bills, on
Demand, to the Amount of it.
UNCLE Jeremy received this Letter
and his Nephew together, at Will's Cof-
fee-Houfe, as he was one Evening en-
joying the Smell of Chocolate, and pour-
ing down his Water, together with the
Eйuvia of that richer Liquor, as the
Boys, on any Occafion, opened the
Pots. The young Gentleman, after an
eafy Voyage, had arrived that Afternoon
in London, with his Friend, who now,
with much Complaifance, prefented him
to the old Gentleman, and told him,
how much his Brother entrusted to his
Care, when he committed his fo belov'd
Son to him.
THE old Gentleman, to avoid Mif
takes, read the Letter his Nephew pre-
fented to him, before he uttered a ſingle
Syllable: He then, putting on his
Spectacles, and raiſing the Youth's Face,
by putting his Hand under his Chin,
told him, he was a very comely Lad,
and had the Family-Face; for that, if
+
he
48
The ADVENTURES of
he knew any thing of his own Features,
he was very like him; and immediately
after turning to his Companion, But,
pray Sir,' fays he, • who may you be,
• for I don't read any thing about you
• in the Letter.
•
THIS abrupt Queſtion, while it a
good deal ſhocked the natural Politeneſs
of the young Gentleman, plunged the
Perfon, to whom it was addreffed, into
an almost inextricable Difficulty: To
acknowledge who he was, were to have
difconcerted his whole future Plan; and
he had not, during the whole Voyage,
recollected, that tho' the young Gentle-
man had never queftioned him farther
in any thing than he chofe, this was a
Query very natural to have come from
fomebody elfe, tho' he had no Right to
have expected it, perhaps, quite fo early.
He heſitated a few Moments, and then
anfwered, That his Name was Spence;
that he was an Acquaintance of his Bro-
ther's, and had came over in the fame
Ship with the young Gentleman.
SIR,' fays the old Fellow very
fourly, I muſt needs tell you, that I
'think you are not a great deal better
• than
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 49
<
C
<
than you ſhould be: And I fhall de-
• fire my Nephew to ſhake off all fuch
Acquaintances; the fooner the better.
There can't be much Good, I am fure,
in a Man, who is afraid to tell his
Name when he is afk'd it: As for
your knowing his Father, I don't hear
any thing about it: Nephew, tell me
the Truth, did you ever fee him
there? And as to your coming over
in the fame Ship with him, and there-
•fore pretending to be acquainted, in
my Mind 'tis much like a Man that
came here fome Years ago to borrow
forty Pounds of me, becaufe we had
once dined at the fame Chophouſe to-
gether.'
<
'
•
THE Nephew having made no Anſwer
to the Interrogatory put to him, in the
midſt of the preceding Sentence, the old
Gentleman repeated it with fome Vehe-
mence, charging him, as he valued his
Friendship, to tell him the Truth. Sir,'
replied our Hero, I will never do o-
therwife: I do not know that this
• Gentleman is acquainted with my Fa-
ther; but, Sir, I know him, and I
have Reaſon to love and honour him,
as I am fure you will do, when you
know him, too.' Yes, I believe I
' fhall,
C
D
6
50
The ADVENTURES of
£
fhall, when I know him,' replies the
old Man with a Sneer of ſelf-applauded
Cunning," you are a Child, and have
feen nothing of the World; come,
confefs the Truth to me, did you ever
fee him yourſelf, before you met
aboard the Veffel? Or do you know
any body that belongs to him? To
theſe unlucky Queftions the Youth was
obliged to anſwer alfo in the Negative;
and the old Fellow continued,
6
<
•
6
6
Aye,
aye, I fee it at once; you don't find
out yet, I fuppofe, Nephew, that this
Fellow has been lurking all this while
about you, to devour you: You own
you did not know any thing of him
till he came aboard; and I dare fay,
if the Truth were out, he never
came there neither, till the Veffel was
in the River. Aye, aye! you're a
goodly one, I warrant you,' fays he,
addreffing himſelf to the fufpected Per-
fon! You had better get away while
you are well, for fear fomebody here
fhould know you better than you de-
fire prefently. A Gang of 'em, Ne-
phew, continued he, a Gang of 'em,
a Pack of Irish Sharpers, that watch
about the Veffels as they come in, juſt
as the Bawds and recruiting Serjeants
• do about the Country Waggons, to
kidnap
.6
+
S
Mr George Edwards, a Creole.
51
kidnap every raw thing that comes in
• their Way.
MR Spenfe, as we fhall, according
to his own Declaration, hereafter call
that Gentleman, in this Hiftory, was
all this while taking fhort Turns about
the Coffee-houſe, biting his Lips, and
changing Colour ten times in a Minute:
He was rather vexed with the Circum-
ftances of the old Man's Miftake, than
angry at the Confequences of it; and
was curfing Fortune very heartily, for
involving him in a Difficulty that he had
a Right to be cleared of, though ſhe
had deny'd him the Means of it. The
old Fellow faw all his Confufion, and
attributed it to Guilt. You fee, Ne-
phew,' fays he, how mad he is
that he is found out: I found he was
a Lyar.'
C
•
THIS was too much for the Patience
of the Accufed; though he had bore the
heavieſt Imputations with Temper, Lyar
was a Word there was no fwallowing.
<
Sir,' fays he, going up to the Uncle
with great Severity of Countenance, I
hardly blame you for your Sufpi-
cions-I own, Appearances are againſt
Ń 2
·
• me
52
The ADVENTURES of
C
<
C
me-I believe a Love for your Ne-
phew, not any Enmity to me, who
am a Stranger to you, has been your
• Motive, and I efteem you for it: But,
Sir, only Appearances are againſt me;
< and, till I have fatisfied you of this, I
beg no more fuch harsh Words may
be uſed in regard to me.' The Un-
cle told him, there fhould no farther
Words at all pafs between them, for that
he fhould infiſt upon his Nephew's hav-
ing no farther Acquaintance with him;
and as to myſelf, Sir,' fays he, I be-
lieve I know the World too well for
you: So faying, he took his Nephew
by the Arm, and led him away, with-
out giving him an Opportunity of fo
much as fpeaking to his fufpected Ac-
quaintance.
<
•
CHAP.
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 53
CHAP.
VII.
Mr Edwards puts himself under the Care
of his Uncle: His Friend is not treated
quite fo well as he deferves.
T
HE Converſation, recorded in the
preceding Chapter, had paffed at
a Time when the Coffee-houfe was full
of Company: The Eyes of every body
were upon Mr Spenfe, as he was now
left alone in the Room; and as People
are naturally inquifitive about every
Stranger who mixes himſelf among them,
and are ever ready to believe the worft
that can be faid of him, they all agreed
that the old Gentleman had Reafon for
every thing he had faid. Some rejoiced
in the poor young Fellow's Eſcape;
fome obferved that he had it all ftrong
upon him; and one of the Company
infifted upon it, that he had ſeen him
fifty times with Maclane. Mr Spence,
full of the Vexation of fo unexpected, fo
unmerited a Cenfure, as he faw he now
lay under on all Hands, threw himſelf
upon one of the Benches, and was pref-
fing his Forehead with his left Hand as
he lean'd upon it; when, in Confequence
D 3
of
54
The ADVENTURES of
of one of the Company's whiſpering
ſomething to the Woman of the Houſe,
he found none of the Boys would ſtir to
bring him any thing he called for. He
took care to affure himſelf of the Truth
of this, by giving his Orders to two or
three of the Waiters feparately, and at
length enquiring the Cauſe of their Neg-
lect at the Bar, when he had heard it,
he walked deliberately to the upper End
of the Room, directing his Eyes alter-
nately to the Company on both fides,
and fpeaking very compofedly and de-
liberately, Gentlemen, which of you
is it, that fuppofes me not proper
Company for him at a Coffee-houfe?'
No Anſwer was made to this, as he
went up the Room; and, after the fame
Ceremony in paffing back again, he
faid to the Lady at the Bar, Madam,
you find you was miſtaken; let me
• have a Diſh of Coffee.'
6
•
'
If this Circumſtance had thoroughly
ruffled him, his Temper was put to a
much feverer Trial a few Minutes af-
ter; a Porter, while he was drinking
his Coffee, delivering him the following
Letter:
SIR,
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 55
S 1 R,
I am greatly concerned at the un-
worthy Treatment you received from
my Uncle a few Minutes fince: I need
not tell you, that his Sufpicions have
no Weight with me; but, as my Fa-
ther has made me accountable to him
for my Conduct, you will not blame
me that, till you have convinced him
• of his Error, which I know you can
eafily do, I pay the Reſpect I am
commanded to his Admonitions, and
am not upon the Footing I have been
• uſed to be, and wiſh ever to be, with
you.
<
C
MANY Things I have occafionally
faid, have, I believe, given you Rea-
fon to depend upon my Friendſhip. I
• muſt be a Villain to leave you deprived
• of it's Affiftance, juft on your Arri-
• val, when you are poffibly unprepared
for fo improbable an Event. It is to
wipe off fo black a Stain from my
• own Character, that I take the Liber-
ty of incloſing a Bill for a hundred
Pounds to you, and of affuring you,
at the fame Time, that there is nothing.
D 4
you:
6
56
The ADVENTURES of
<
you may not at all times command,
that is in the Power of,
}
SIR,
Your moſt obliged, and
most obedient humble Servant,
GEORGE EDWARDS.
HAD the Money been immediately ne-
ceffary to Mr Spence, he would not have
willingly accepted it on fuch Conditions:
He endeavoured to return it, but found
the Youth had made every Attempt of
that kind impracticable.. The oftener he
read the Letter, the more Reafon he
faw to acquit the young Man of any
Fault toward him: He ſaw that he be-
haved as he ought, tho' at the Expence
of no little Pain to himfelf; and, for his
own Part, he could only curfe the mali-
cious Perplexity that attended his For-
tune.
UNCLE Jeremy could have been well
content to have received more timely
Notice of the Arrival of his Nephew:
For the prefent, however, to prevent his
falling
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 57
4
falling into ill Hands, he had taken him
to his Lodgings, and, with many Apo-
logies for the Meannefs of the Accom-
modation, put him into his own Bed,
promifing to find a proper Apartment
for him the next Day; and borrowing,
for that Night, the Bed of a Servant
then in the Country, who had Chambers
over him, for himſelf and the Partner
of his Joys.
THE young Gentleman, who had
not lain ftill for fome Weeks before,
ſlept pretty foundly in his new Lodg-
ing, in Defiance of a confiderable Num-
ber of Acquaintance that had picked him
up there. As to the Uncle, his Head
was too full of the Advantages he intend-
ed to make of his Nephew, to fuffer
him once fo much as to clofe his Eyes,
or to remember that the blooming Ruth
was befide him. For the Refult of his
Projects, the gentle Reader muſt, how-
ever, begin his Attack upon the fecond
Book of this our Hiſtory.
WE have brought our Hero from
the new World to the old, or, to ſpeak
more appropriately to his own Circum-
D 5
ſtance,
58
The ADVENTURES of
ſtance, from the old World to a new
one (Pardon us Geographers, if, in Jufti-
fication of this new Phrafe, we affirm
that we verily believe one of theſe
Worlds, as they are called, to be as old
as the other) and here we cloſe the firſt
Book.
THE
[ 59 F
THE
ADVENTURES
O F
Mr George Edwards,
A CREOLE.
BOOK the Second,
In which our Hero commences a
Man of Pleaſure.
CHA P. I.
A Coffee-boufe Acquaintance offers his
Services to Mr Edwards.
M
R Jeremy Edwards, with
whoſe midnight Meditati-
ons we clofed the preceding
Book, fummed
up the
whole toward Morning, in
the two following Propofitions, That a
young Creole, who comes to England
for Education, is the Bubble of every
D 6
one
60
The ADVENTURES of
one who has the leaft Talent at cheat-
ing; and that, if a Man is to be ſtripp'd,
the Money had better fall into the
Hands of his own Family, than among
Strangers. In Confequence of this, he
determined to have as much as poffible
of the Advantages of his Nephew's
Deſtruction to himfelf; and another
Reaſon, which the Reader may poffibly
guefs at, made him refolve that the
Profit of it ſhould be as great as it
could. The Youth, he imagined, fhew-
ed a very happy Genius for being im-
pofed on: The apparent Openness of
his Temper feemed to prove this;
and the unlimited Bill of Credit his Fa-
ther had given him, fatisfy'd the Ufu-
rer, that it was but at the Expence of a
Quarrel with that Gentleman, that he
might ftrip him of half his Fortune.
IT has been obferved, that there is
no Species of News which does not en-
large, in Proportion to the Space thro'
which it is carry'd; and it may be ad-
ded, that no Article of News is fure to
receive ſo very confiderable Increaſe in
it's Travels, as that which relates to a
Man's Fortune: If a Perfon's Eftate be
within twenty Miles of London, two
hundred
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 61
hundred Pounds a Year hardly gives
him the Credit of five; if it be fituated
in Yorkſhire, the fame Capital naturally
rifes to eight; and, if in Cornwall, not a
Knight of the Land's End, but makes
it fifteen hundred, and as good Land as
ever Crow flew over: From Ireland,
no Man of any Degree of Figure ever
arrived with lefs than an Eftate of five
and twenty hundred Pounds a Year;
and the general Allowance to the Weft
Indies is twelve thoufand; or, in a
good Year for Sugar, twice as much.
THE Hero of our Story, who had
met with the Fame of his Uncle's For-
tune increaſed in this Proportion in
America, found his Father's was not
without the common Advantage in Eng-
land: He determined, to give himfelf
the better Figure, to take up the Credit
of both at the diftant Account; and,
accordingly, every Corner of Will's
Coffee-houſe heard, the next Morning,
that the young Fellow they had feen
with the old Ufurer there over Night,
was worth twelve thouſand Pounds a
Year, and a hundred and fifty thouſand
Pounds in ready Money: The News
had not ſpread to the Exchange; before
it
62
The ADVENTURES of
it was affirmed, that every Plantation
upon the Spot was mortgaged to him;
and, at St James's Coffee-houſe, every
body was convinced of his being come
over, with an Intent to purchaſe the
Inland.
HE no fooner entered Will's the fol-
lowing Day, than every Man, who had
but fat upon the fame Bench with his
Uncle for the laft Fortnight, begged to
be introduced to his Acquaintance.
Seignior Squalli whiſper'd the old Fel-
low, that he was confident he read a
Taſte for Mufic in his Countenance:
Mr Pair'em begged to know, whether
he was engaged as to Matrimony, for
that he was daily applied to by Women
from a hundred, to a hundred and fifty
thouſand, to look out prudential Match-
es for them; and the humble Mr Stanza,,
after hinting at fome little Merit in his
Monody on the Death of the Prince of
Wales, intreated to know, whether a
congratulatory Addrefs to the young
Gentleman, on his Arrival in England,
with fome proper Honours to his Fa-
mily, might not prove agreeable.
WHILE
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 63
.
WHILE all theſe were attacking the
old Gentleman at once, as if every one
intended to have a feparate Limb of
him, a tall, rawbon'd, ill-made Fellow,
in a Velvet Coat of ten Colours, and
with the Addrefs of a Chairman, made
up to the Youth himſelf: Sir, fays he,
me be de fair Connoitre, de Guardian,
de what me verily believe you call in
English de Pimpeme be ver well
wid all de Demireps of dis Place, and
me can introduce the Chevalier fans
Peine to dem all round. My Face,
Monfieur, may be your Security, that
me no rival thoſe who do me de great
Honour to employe me; but, if you
doubt, me will give you dans une autre
Chambre fuffifante Prove, that it is im-
poffible.
MONSIEUR le Guardian was going on
very earneſtly, when the old Man, who
had by this time got rid of his new
Friends, feized the Youth by the Arm
with great Violence, and paid no fort of
Regard to the facre Dieu! quel Bougre!
of the Foreigner, as he hawl'd him out
of the Room. He foon faw there was
no Way of keeping his Nephew long
to
:
64
The ADVENTURES of
}
to himſelf; and he determined to make
the beſt Uſe of the fhort Opportunity
he faw before him. He hurry'd him
Home with all poffible Expedition; and
told him it was by no means proper he
ſhould appear in Public, till he was pro-
perly lodged and habited, and that he
would immediately take the proper Mea-
fures, in regard to both thoſe Articles.
CHAP.
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 65
CAA P. II.
Preparations made by Uncle Jeremy for
our Hero's making a Figure.
Na Corner of one of the worſt
Squares in Town, there ftand, and
indeed hardly ſtand, two Houſes, which
ſeem to have been the Habitations of
the Grandfathers of the People who built
the reſt of the Square: Thefe, half an
Age ago, fell into the Hands of the
Ground-Landlord; but his Finances nei-
ther fuffering him to rebuild, nor re-
pair them, they had added eleven Years
and a half to their Antiquity, in an en-
tirely uſeleſs State, when an enterprifing
Son of Mammon, who had long before
quitted the Occupation of a Botcher, to
rival People of fifty other Trades by
underfelling them, made his Applica-
tions to the unhappy Proprietor, as he
was one Day mournfully meditating un-
der their Windows, and purchaſed them
of him at a Rate at which he could not
poffibly be a Lofer, unleſs fomebody
could have contrived to annihilate the
Materials.
UNCLE
66
The ADVENTURES of
}
UNCLE Jeremy had, by Accident,
heard the Circumſtances of this Bargain,
not without much Regret that it had
not been his own, inftead of this univer-
fal Interloper's, whom fome ftrong Re-
ports, in regard to his Connexions with
Lord Squander and young Daſh, had
render'd much to be fufpected of chang-
ing his varied Trade into the fingle,
profitable Branch, at this time almoft
folely occupied by the faid Jeremy.
THESE, and fome other Motives
which we are afhamed to confefs we be-
lieve had their Origin from Envy at the
renegade Botcher's Succefs in the World,
determined Jeremy to vifit thefe Houſes;
and, at the fame Time that he made a
cheap Purchaſe, to draw in the preſent
Proprietor to an ill Bargain, if poffible,
by means of the very Artifices by which
himſelf had the Advantage of the reft of
the World.
ONE of the Houfes was already fold
to a Gentleman of great Fame, whoſe
Knowledge, it appeared by this Inftance,
however, confifted more in old Words,
than in old Houſes. The other Mr Ed-
wards
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 67
wards, enter'd immediately into Trea-
ty about, and informing the meta-
morphos'd Botcher that he knew the
Price he had bought them at, and drop-
ping at the fame Time a cafual Hint
that the Houſe he was about to purchaſe
muſt be furniſh'd, he obtain'd it at the
very Price at which it had been pur-
chas'd of the late Proprietor; and hardly
fuffer'd the Perfon who fold it him to
make Two Hundred and Eighty per
Cent. of his Money by both Bargains.
MR Edwards, tho' he did not pay
quite Two Hundred Pounds for this
Bargain, immediately enter'd it in his
Account, a large Houſe in **** Square,
bought at One Thouſand, Four Hundred,,
and Sixty Pounds. **** Square, he con-
fider'd, had a very good Sound, and a
large Houſe, in a Square in a polite
End of the Town, he knew his Brother
cou'd not think dear at that Price. All
he had to take Care of was, the not fuf-
fering it to be fold again till-they had
fettled their Accounts; and this he knew
it was his own Fault, if he permitted.
FROM the Seat of this Purchaſe it was
but a fhort Walk to Monmouth-street.
The
68
The ADVENTURES of
The provident old Gentleman enter'd
every open Door in the Row, that is,
every Door in it, and, after taking Notes
of what he found to his Purpoſe in each
Shop, he came back to that where he
had met with moſt old-faſhion'd Finery,
and, agreeing for two full-lac'd Suits that
had been worn at the laſt Coronation but
one, he order'd the Lace to be taken
off from each, and clean'd; bought a
cheap Cloth in the Shop for the new
Trimming with this Finery, and im-
mediately fent the Foreman of the Shop
to meaſure his Nephew for two new
Suits; agreeing with the Mafter to make
up the two that he had ſtripp'd, for his
own Wear, into the Bargain.
MR Jeremy Edwards was an Enemy
to all Bills, and, of all the Bills in the
World, to thofe of Taylors. He had
purchas'd the two rich Suits outright;
he now bargain'd for the Materials and
Workmanſhip of the New, in his ufual
Way: And in fine, after paying Twenty-
ſeven Pounds for the Two, to be de-
liver'd compleat the next Evening, and
charging them in his Account under the
Title of two very rich lac'd Suits, One
Hundred and Forty Pounds, he clos'd
his
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 69
his Book; and his Countenance declar'd
a fufficient Applaufe at his Addrefs and
Economy.
THO' the Profits of the Day's Expe-
dition were already confiderably greater
than he had ever made in a Twelvemonth
before, it was a Day of too much Bufi-
nefs for him to go Home with ſo little
of it done. He pick'd up the firſt Up-
pholſterer, whofe Shop he pafs'd by, and,
taking him to the Houſe he had juſt
come into Poffeffion of, began talking
with him of the Furniture of the firft
Floor. This Part of the Houfe, which
he prudently confider'd was all that
People ever were to fee, he determin'd
to fet out handfomely; as to the reft,
he had more frugal Thoughts about it.
THE Man of whom Mr Edwards had
made the Purchaſe, was inform'd, by the
Perſon who open'd the Door to him,
that he had juft carry'd in their Neigh-
bour, Mr Settee, with him. The en-
rag'd Botcher follow'd with the utmoſt
Expedition, and juſt enter'd the Room,
as his Rival Settee, who had been punc-
tually inform'd of the Circumftances of
the intended Furniture, and had been
told,
70
The ADVENTURES of
told, that, if he did not fet it at the
lowest living Price, another wou'd be
employ'd to do it, had deliver'd his Ef-
timate at Three Hundred and Eighty
Pounds. There was an additional Cir-
cumftance to all the Admonitions which
Mr Edwards had given Settee as to the
Lowneſs of Price, which operated not a
little in his Caufe: This Tradefman
and his Neighbour had long been en-
vious Rivals of each other's growing
Buſineſs, and the Pride of being em-
ploy'd, in the very Houſe of his Arch-
enemy, had now fpirited up Settee to
engage in the furniſhing this Apartment
at a Price at which himſelf muft, in Re-
ality, have been a Lofer.
<
THE late Owner of the Houſe, who
had a little recover'd his Breath, while
the other was delivering his Eftimate,
now told Mr Edwards, That he thought
he hardly us'd him fairly; that he had
fold him the Houfe, as he very well,
knew, at no Profit, entirely on the
Profpect of furniſhing it: That'
C
He was going on at this Rate, with a
Volubility and Vociferation that wou'd
have been troubleſome enough, when
Mr
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 71
Mr Edwards very mildly check'd him
in this Manner: I believe, Mr ****,
that you really did let me into the
Houſe cheap, to make yourſelf amends
in the furniſhing it. But, Sir, why all
this Paffion? 'Tis only the firſt Floor,
not the whole Houfe, that we are
talking about. I am engag'd in
Honour to make my Nephew's Mo-
ney go as far as it can, and this Gen-
tleman, I believe, has anfwer'd the
• Recommendation I had of him from
my Coufin Spare; and I really think
has fet the Things fo low, that no Man,
to have a living Profit, cou'd make
them cheaper.'
<
<
€
6
SETTEE infifted on it that he had
done this; and his Rival hinted that he did
not believe it. They grew warm apace,
and a Quarrel wou'd certainly have en-
fu'd in a few Minutes, that many People
who had hated the quondam Botcher as
heartily as Edwards did, wou'd have
had fufficient Entertainment in. His
Gratifications, however, were of a more
rational Kind. He faw he cou'd make
an Advantage of their Paffions, by em-
ploying them againſt one another; and,
inſtead
72
The ADVENTURES of
<
• I am cer-
inſtead of fomenting the Diſpute in the
Way it was going into, he faid, very
coolly, • Gentlemen, the Period of this
Diſpute, at preſent, portends no Good
to either of you: I am forry that I
have been the Occafion of it, and I
• beg I may put an amicable End to it.'
• Mr Settee,' continues he,
<tain you have made your Eſtimate fo
• moderate, that no Man can under-
work you; let your Neighbour ſee
the Lift of Particulars, and declare
upon his Honour whether he can fur-
niſh them cheaper; if not, why he
can't blame me for taking Care of
Money that is not my own; and you
may finiſh with all Expedition.'
C
<
C
SETTEE, who knew the Terms
he had computed upon, conſented to
this, with an Air of great Triumph ;
telling Mr Edwards, You will now
fee, Sir, in how fair a Manner I have
dealt with you, fince even this Rival
in the Buſineſs, as vex'd as he is to
lofe the Job, won't pretend I have
over-rated any Article.'
THO'
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 73
THO' Settee was well enough acquaint-
ed with his own Reaſons, he was mif-
taken in thinking he cou'd fee deep
enough into his Antagoniſt's, to be fure
of Succefs in this Incident. It is true,
that this Gentleman found every Article
in the Account charg'd under the
intrinfic Value, but confidering that he
had ftill the Furniture of twelve Rooms,
by which he might make himſelf amends
for any Injury he fhou'd do himſelf in
regard to thefe, he very boldly told
Settee, Sir, I know you depend upon
C my Honour in this Cafe, and will.
make a raving about betraying the Se-
crets of the Trade, upon my Speaking;
but, Sir, I fhall not fee my Friend's
• Pocket pick'd upon any Confideration
• whatſomever.’ • Mr Edwards,' con-
tinues he, you fhall fee how confcien-
• tious a Dealer that Gentleman is, in a
• Minute,Sir-I will engage to do this for
. a Hundred Pounds lefs than he offers
C
C
" .
it at.' Mr Edwards, who proteſted
he underſtood not thefe Affairs, cou'd
fay nothing to this, but offer the Alter-
native to Mr Settee of taking the Job on
thefe Terms, or leaving it. On his de-
E
clining
774
The ADVENTURES of
来
​clining it, with fome very harfh Words
to his Antagoniſt, he told him he was
forry for the Trouble he had given him
in coming; and, leaving the other to
lofe about a Hundred and Thirty Pounds,
with all poffible Expedition he bought
the Furniture for the reft of the Houſe
in his Way Home thro' Knaves-Acre.
CHAP.
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 75
CHA P. III.
Containing a Love-letter and a Portrait
of the first Jewel in the Creation.
O
UR Hero, during the Abfence of
his Uncle on theſe important Oc-
cafions, had made a fhort Excurfion
from his Lodgings: He had ventur'd as
far as the New Bridge one way, and to
Charing-Cross the other. This was indeed
againſt the exprefs Commands of Mr
Jeremy, and poffibly he would not have
ventured to do it, had not Mr Le Guar-
dien been accidentally walking at a lit-
tle Diſtance from the Door, as he had
opened it, half determined, and half a-
fraid, to look a little about him.
THIS good-natur'd Gentleman imme-
diately offered his Service: He gave him
a Taſte of the Wine at Stevenſon's, ex-
plained to him the Beauties of the E-
queſtrian Statue at the other Extremity
of his Journey, and, in their Way back,
led him into the beſt Shop in Town to
buy his Toothpicks and Lavender Wa-
ter.
E 2
OUR
·76
The ADVENTURES of
OUR Hero was by no Means fatisfied
with the Behaviour of his Companion;
his Civilities were too forc'd, his Offers
of Friendſhip and Service too exagge-
rated, and his whole Manner too diftant
from what his Habit beſpoke him, to
gain him any Credit with a Man of his
Judgment: He made him a cool Com-
pliment as he turned in at the Gate, and
took his Leave, without any Defire of
renewing the Acquaintance.
THE young Gentleman had got
Home, before his Uncle, and was
making fome formidable Attacks up-
on the Virtue of Mrs Ruth, when a
Porter delivered into the Hands of that
fair one, as fhe attended his Summons.
from the Door, a fquare Piece of paint-
ed Paper, which was fo very unlike
every thing ſhe had ſeen before, that fhe
was preparing to lay it by with the ut-
moft Care, till
till the Return of her
Mafter. The Interruption of the Lo-
ver's Attack had only given new Vi-
gour to it; he was feizing on her fwel-
ling Breaft, and about to rifle ten thou-
fand Charms at once, when he difco-
vered on this Paper, in the Midft of a
Crowd
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 77
Crowd of painted Cupids, bleeding
Hearts, and fuppliant Venus's, the
Name of
Edwards, Junr. Efq;
ufhered in with the Title of the Ho-
nourable.
A
HE feized upon the Letter with
great Eagernefs; and whether it was
that he recollected he could have Ruth
at any time, or that one Paffion natu-
rally falls before another in the human
Breaft, he left the ruffled Damfel, we
fhould have faid, to adjuft her Tucker,
if ſhe had worn any fuch Ornament,
and, haftily opening the Seal of this
French Cafe, dropped a folded Paper
out of it. When he had open'd this,
he found it ornamented with a Margin full
of the fame emblematic Figures that
were on the Cover, and in the Space
within that enchanting Verge it contain'd
the following Addrefs, written in a very
fmall, and not very plain, Hand, and
in Lines of different Lengths and Di-
ſtances:
The Rofe and Lily dwell upon thy Cheek,
And in thofe Eyes doth every Virtue ſpeak.
E 3
Thy
78
The ADVENTURES of
Thy Shape like Harkilus thy Strength de-
clares,
And every Part the Stamp of Manhood
bears.
To ſee thee and to love thee is the fame,
And who is she can love and hide ber
Flame?
I think not of Success, for all that I
Intend is but to tell thee this, and die.
THE Gardener, when he inclofeth his
Ground, planneth out his Walks, and
faith unto his Attendants, Here fhall
rife the Mount, here wind the Stream,
and here extend the Grafsplat; yet re-
• membereth that Lawns, Water, Mounts,
and Terraces, do not make a Garden:
It is in vain that Tree anfwereth to
Tree, that Shade here receiveth us
from Sunfhine; and that there Sun-
• fhine inviteth us from the Shade; it is
not yet compleat: Nature may do all
this: The Tulip muft invite the Eye
with it's Painting, the Lily muſt
charm with it's Whitenefs, and the
• Mufk-flower fill the Senſe with Sweets;
or it is a Park and not a Garden.
મ
‹ THUS I have, in vain, ornamented
my Apartments; in vain the gilded
• Foliage
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 79'
&
Foliage invites me to look into the
• Glafs; in vain the Crimſon Couch
• receiveth my finking Limbs; in vain
the rifing Bed calleth to be prefs'd; if
thou my Flower, my Bloffom, thoụ
who art Lily, Tulip, and Mufk to-
gether; thou whofe Form feafteth
every Senſe at once, refuſeft to come
• to me. I have many other Sentiments
<
·
to communicate to you, but theſe are
6 too much to be told on that which
• cannot bluſh, while it delivers them.
،
I HAVE never refted, fince the Mo-
ment I faw you come into the Shop
where I lodge, to buy a Waſhball.
Would they could fell me any thing
• that could wash out the Remembrance
• of fuch Charms: But perhaps you
• will come to me. In that Hope I
fupport a few Moments longer the
• miferable Being of your'
Eternally devoted Slave,
and Creature,
ELIZ. SPARKLE.
OUR
E 4
80
The ADVENTURES of
OUR Hero gaz'd with a wild Afto-
niſhment on this pompous Declaration.
We need not fay, it was the moſt ex-
traordinary Performance that had ever
fell in his way; fome of our Readers,
we are afraid, will be apt to join with
him in his Admiration: Thoroughly fa-
tisfied we are, however, that whatever
Cenfure it may fall under, the harſh
and almost univerfal Term of Con-
tempt Low cannot be paffed upon it:
And, if any fhould fuppofe it is out of
Nature, we can only anſwer, that, while
they by this convince us they do not
know the Lady who could have written
it, they give fufficient Proof that them-
felves are out of Life, to every body
that is in it.
To anſwer fuch a Letter was impof-
fible, nor was it neceffary; to appear
before the Lady was the only proper
Reply to it. Mr Edwards made little
Hefitation about this; and though Mrs.
Ruth begged of him, for Heaven's
Sake, not to go out again (whether this
was from the Fear of her Maſter's Dif-
pleaſure, or from fome other Motive,
we fhall not prefume to guefs ;) out he
fally'd, with as much Precipitation as
burfts
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 81
burſts forth the trembling Huſband,
whofe Helpmate's Voice rolls ſwifter
than her Perfon down the narrow-wind-
ing Stairs, to tell him her poor Babes
muſt be ſtarved for Want of Bread, while
he is rioting and waſting his Time and
his Money at an Alehouſe.
up
He had no fooner inquir'd in the
Shop if Mifs Sparkle was at home, than
a very polite Footman conducted him
Stairs: And he had no fooner enter'd a
very elegant Apartment, than the more
elegant Miſtreſs of it, a fine, delicate,
blooming Creature threw herſelf upon
his Bofom, and with Eyes fwimming in
Floods of Tenderness, as fhe preffed
him to her foft Breaſt, figh'd out, ‹ And
am I ſo happy to fee you, dear, good.
Creature! But I'm a Fool to fancy I am
happy.'- Here fhe drew herfelf from
him, and finking upon a Couch covered
her Blufhes, or her Want of Bluſhes,
which of the two the Hiftorian pofitively
fayeth not, with her Hand, and waited.
her Lover's Declaration.
WHEN we confider the Part of the
World Mr Edwards was just come
from, where Women of Taſte or De-
E 5
licacy
M
82
The ADVENTURES of
licacy would be as much out of the
Courſe of Nature as Centaurs or Uni-
corns, we are not to wonder, that the
Sight of one of the eleganteft Figures of
this elegant Age ftruck him with no
common Emotions. Mifs Sparkle is as
careful of her Attitudes, on theſe Occa-
fions, as the People who only reprefent
Occurrences of this kind on the Stage;
fhe practiſes an intended Air of Softnefs,
or Severity, as often at the Glafs, as
Mrs Cibber does. The Form in which
fhe had now difpos'd her Limbs was of
the moſt advantageous Kind, and was
too thoroughly practis'd before-hand,
not to be play'd off in Perfection.
Her Head, reclining to one Side, gave
her an Opportunity of fhewing one of
the brighteſt Eyes Nature ever gave a
Woman; and a Cheek naturally all Lily,
but now ftain'd with a living Crimson,
that every Inftant glow'd more
more intenfely; and might have alarm'd
the Youth, who came out of a Rattle-
fnake Country, had he recollected, that
the Colours of that terrible Reptile al-
ways brighten up in this Manner, when
it is about to do Mifchief. Her Neck
difplay'd more of it's fnowy Brightneſs
by this Pofture, than it could have done
under
and
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 83:
under any other Circumſtances; and the
hyacinthine Veins that wander'd over it,
almoſt diſclos'd, through their thin
Coats, the purple Fluid that roll'd thro'
them: Her Bofom let fomebody de-
ſcribe that dares to look at it, I have
more Regard to the Inhabitant of my
own: Her Waiſt, naturally almoſt too
flender, was now rather improv'd than
injur'd, by the Effects of an Accident
that had a little rounded it: The Sattin
Petticoat, from which the Gown had
fallen back with an artful Negligence,
fell fo clofe, as almoft to fhew the
Shape of the Limbs it cover'd; and it's
Shortnefs fuffer'd about the Half of one
of the trueft form'd Legs in the Uni-
verfe to fhow itſelf, terminated by the
only Foot in the World, that is worthy
to have that Honour. The white Sat-
tin Shoe, the Gawfe Silk Stocking, the
Elegance of the Gown, and the Fine-
nefs of the Linnen, all conſpir'd to add,
if poffible, to the Charms of the Object.
The Youth, in honeſt Rapture, figh'd
out what he could not ſpeak; and, af-
ter three Days Tranfport, iffued out of
the Apartments of this earthly Angel,
with a Heart full of triumphant Con-
tent, and with three hundred Pounds lefs
than he went in with, in his Pocket.
E 6
CHAP.
84
The ADVENTURES of
CHA P. IV.
A Vifit to the Lady; the first public Ap-
pearance of our Hero.
O
RESTES, when he had got
Pyrrhus's Throat cut for the Sake
of Hermione, and loft Hermione into the
Bargain, was a tame Character, in Com-
pariſon of Uncle Jeremy, who, after
venturing fo confiderable a Sum of Mo-
ney, and promifing himſelf fuch immo-
derate Advantages from it, had now,
for three Days together, loft the Man,
on whofe Account he had been doing it.
THE Youth, who did not think it
prudent to return to a Scene of Dirt and
Quarrelling, immediately, from fo op-
pofite a Party, had afk'd the Lady
where he could fit down agreeably for
an Hour or two; and ſhe had, by per-
fect Accident, directed him to George's
in Pall-mall. He had fcarce enter'd,
when two or three People were making
toward him at once, but were prevent-
ed by Monfieur Le Guardien, who,
making a Diagonal from an oppofite
Quarter of the Room, croffed between
the
{
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 85
the Youth and them, and, immediately
facing about, entered into a Converfation
with him.
YOUNG Minds are always very com-
municative of their Succeffes in Love
Affairs: The Youth was at firft fur-
prized at the Foreigner's congratulating
him on the Happineſs he had been en-
joying; but he immediately after talked
over the whole Scene of Rapture to him;
and was no fooner informed that he had
owed it to this Gentleman, who had
taken him into the Shop for that Pur-
pofe, and had mentioned him favoura-
bly to the Lady; than, as he had always
underſtood thefe kind of Services were
to be paid for, he was offering a Gratu-
ity: The other ſtopp'd his Hand, with
Me excufe all dis; me fee you be
<
very young: But Monfieur the Gen-
<tilhome never take Money; eh bien
Sire, fhall we play a Party at Piquet ?'
Our Hero, who had been uſed to
beat his Father and all his Acquain-
tance at this Game, readily accepted
the Challenge, and in half an Hour loft
two hundred and forty Pounds. This
unluckily was one hundred and forty
more than he had about him: He was
afraid
86 The ADVENTURES of.
afraid to go on, and was under fome
Confufion how to give over: The Fo-
reigner immediately faw it; he politely
made flight of the Accident, accepted
the hundred Pound Bill he had about
him, and his Note of Hand for the Re-
mainder, and left him to return to his
Uncle.
MRS Ruth, who met him at the
Door of the old Gentleman's Apart-
ment, eaſily gueffed the Reafon of the
cold and contemptuous Looks ſhe now
received from him. She told him, with a
Sigh, her Maſter was not at home; that
he had been almoft diftracted for him
theſe three Days; and was now, ſhe be-
lieved, waiting for him, at the Houſe
he had taken for his Refidence: She
gave his Chairmen the neceffary Inftruc-
tions where to carry him; and he, in a
very little Time, found himſelf at his
new Home.
UNCLE Jeremy was founding the
Upholſterer, who had furniſhed the beſt
Apartment, at what Rate he would take
back the Things, in Cafe the Gentle-
man, for whofe Ufe they were intended,
ſhould diſlike them, or fhould- or, in
fhort,
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 87.
fhort, fhould not come to the Houſe.
That Tradefman, who had now twice
fuffered very heavily by the old Gentle-
man's Cunning, refolved to make him-
felf fome Reparation in this laft Bargain:
He had named fome very hard Condi-
tions, and told him, no Man elfe of the
Trade would have any Concern in the
Affair, as he would fee there was fome-
thing wrong at the Bottom: The old
Fellow was fenfible enough of this, and
was pleading very humbly for better
Terms, when a thundering Knock at the
Door alarmed every body's Attention,
and the Uncle, on getting to the
Window, had the Joy to fee his loft
Nephew walk out of a Chair, and enter
the Houſe. The Rage, which under
other Circumſtances, would have been
vented on the young Gentleman, was
now all diſcharged on the Upholſterer;
the old Fellow thruft him out of Doors,
with a multitude of very opprobrious,
we do not venture to fay, unjuft Names;
and, immediately running to his Ne-
phew, caught him in his Arms, and,
while he expreffed his real Joy at ſeeing
him, wholly forgot the Refentment his
Abfence might have very well juftified.
THE
88
The ADVENTURES of
THE Youth was in Raptures at his
Accommodations, and his Heart flut-
ter'd ftrangely at the Sight of the two
gaudy Suits that lay on the Bed He
immediately drefs'd himſelf in one of
them; he ftrutted about from Glafs to
Glaſs in his Dining-room, and admir'd
the Elegance of every thing about him;
he wiſhed for nothing fo much as fending
to his dear Sparkle to partake of his
Pleaſures, but this the old Gentleman-
render'd impracticable, by ſtaying to
fup with him, and even to fee him in.
Bed.
A SALE of a City Alderman's Effects
had luckily helped Uncle Jeremy to his
Shrevalty Chariot, on the firſt Day of
the young Gentleman's Abfence, for
twelve Guineas: He had employed a
Journeyman Coach-painter to lick up
and gild it for four more, and had en-
ter'd it in his Account at two hundred
and fixty Pounds ten Shillings: This
had been ready the Day before, fuch.
Expedition had been uſed about it, and,.
on the fucceeding Morning, it was the
firft Object that met our Hero's Eyes, as
he looked out into the Street. He now
found
Mr George Edwards, a Creole.
89.
found he had only locked himſelf up
during a Period, in which it was impof-
fible for him to have been ſeen as he
ought; and impatient to fhew his Miftrefs
his Splendor and Magnificence, he or-
dered a Dinner for her at Four, drefs'd
himſelf as quick as his Admiration at
every Part of his Habit would permit,
order'd his Chariot to the Waſhball
Shop, and, after it had attracted the
Eyes of every body thereabout for five
Hours, return'd back in Triumph in it,
with the blooming Sparkle by his Side.
1
In t
CHAP.
مو
The ADVENTURES of
CHA P. V.
An unexpected Meeting between Mr Ed-
wards and Uncle Jeremy; a new Sup-
ply advanced, and the Conditions of it.
MR
R Edwards was leading his Mi-
ſtreſs with infinite Gaiety into the
Dinning-Room, when he faw the vene-
rable Figure of his Uncle, filling one of
the Eafy Chairs by the Fire-fide. If the
Delicacy of the Lady was ftrangely
fhock'd at the Appearance of fo un-
couth a Creature, how much more fo
was it, when, with great Severity of
Countenance, he advanc'd up to her, and
defir'd her to walk down Stairs again?
IT was in vain the Lover pleaded :
The old Fellow was too difcerning in
the Ways of the World, not to fee at
once, of what Quality the Lady was,
who was introduced into the Houfe with
fo much the Appearance of the Miſtreſs
of it; and the Confideration of what he
had already fuffer'd from her, as he very
rightly judg'd fhe was the Perfon who
had kept his Nephew all the preceding
Time in fecret, render'd him inexorable.
All
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. gr
All that the Lover cou'd do, was to fend
her Home in his Charriot, and this, in
fpite of all the old Fellow's Reaſons and
Remonftrances, he infifted on.
We don't always fee the Event of our
Actions, or the Refults of the Accidents
which croſs them. The Abfence of this
Lady, tho' it heartily mortify'd our Youth
for the first Half-hour, gave an Opportu-
nity afterwards for the Uncle's entering on
a Subject, at leaſt as neceffary to him as
the Lady herſelf, and which it wou'd
have been impoffible to have brought upon
the Carpet before her; this was Money.
UNCLE Jeremy rather hoped, than
imagin'd, the Stripling had already got
rid of the Sum his Father had furniſh'd
him with for his whole Expedition: The
Theme was no fooner ſtarted, however,
than the Nephew declared the Emptinefs
of his Pockets; and the old Gentleman,
after fome gentle Rebukes for his Extra-
vagance, and declaring the utter Incapa-
city he was in, after the Expences of the
Houſe, Furniture, and Equipage, to
furniſh him; obferv'd, when he had
thoroughly plunged him into Deſpair,
that he believ'd he did know one Way of
fupplying him with fomething for his
prefent
$2
The ADVENTURES of
prefent Occafions; but, that he muft
borrow it from a Perfon who was an
ufurious Rafcal, and wou'd infiſt upon
five and twenty per Cent.
THE Youth readily enough agreed to
the Conditions; and the old Fellow, who
had told him, he believed he cou'd get
him four hundred on thefe Terms, re-
collecting in his way home, that he cou'd
never make ſo much Advantage of his
Money any other way, emptied all his
Bags and Pocket-Books, and returned in
an Hour, telling him, he had found the
old Villain at home, had fucceeded beyond
Expectation, and had brought him no
lefs than two thouſand Pounds.
at
THE young Gentleman was eagerly
writing his Draught upon the Father
for the Money, and calculating the In-
tereſt of two thouſand Pounds,
twenty-five per Cent. for three Months,
which he reckon'd, as the utmoſt Time
for making the Remittance, when
the Uncle informed him, that theſe
People never lent for leſs than a Year
certain (tho' for my own Sake) Sir, fays
he, I muſt beg you to follicit your
Father to remit it fooner than three
Months,
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 93
Months, if he can, becauſe I fhall be
uneafy at continuing, longer than ne-
ceffary, engaged for fo large a Sum.
He told him, he need not indeed trouble
himſelf to add the Intereft, for that the
Lender, in theſe Cafes, always deducted
it at firft out of the Principal; and, in
Confequence of this equitable Agree-
ment, counted him out fifteen hundred
Pounds, and took his Draught of three
Months upon his Father, for the two
Thoufand.
DISADVANTAGEOUSLY as they were
obtained, however, our Hero now found
himſelf poffefs'd of all the Requifites of
a fine Gentleman: And the Uncle, who
confider'd, that he cou'd have no farther
Benefit from him for fome time, and
that it was no more his Bufinefs to be
feen encouraging him in his Extra-
vagances, than it was his Intereft to
check him in them; retir'd to the Arms
of Mrs Ruth, whofe Virtue, fomething,
very like a Miracle, had preferved; and
never troubled his Nephew with a Vifit
for five Weeks after.
CHAP.
94
The ADVENTURES of
CHAP. VI.
Mr Edwards is introduced to a Rout.
Character of a remarkable little Lady.
MR
R Edwards, in whom a natural
Love of Justice was a firft Prin-
ciple, no fooner found himſelf poffefs'd
of this Sum, than he diſpatch'd a Ser-
vant to invite Mr Le Guardien, to whom
he had loft his Money at Piquette, and
paid him the Remainder of the Sum.
THE Foreigner prefs'd the not receiv
ing it at that Time, if it was of any
Inconvenience to him, and, in ſpite of
the utmoſt Declarations of the other,
received it with a very well affected Re-
luctance.
HE fat with him, half an Hour after
the fettling this Point, talking of the
common Occurrences, and upon other
equally interefting Topics; and at the
End of this Time was taking his
Leave. The Youth, who had ſeen fo
little of the Town, or known fo little of
the Hiſtory of any Lady in it, that every
thing was News to him, had been vaſtly
entertain'd
Mr George Edwards, a Creole.
95
+
entertain'd with the Chit-Chat of his Vi-
fiter: he prefs'd him to ſtay Supper,
but the other, with many Apologies,
declin❜d the Honour, telling him he was
engag'd at a Rout that Evening; but
adding, that he wou'd, if he pleas'd, in-
troduce him to fome of the beft Com-
pany in Town, that wou'd be affem-
bled there.
MR Edwards declin'd it, as if he
was more than half willing: The Stran-
ger faw this, and prefs'd him earneſtly,
telling him in fine, that, if he refuſed to
go, he fhou'd not think he believed he
had any fuch Appointment. Our He-
ro's Backwardneſs had only proceeded
from his Diffidence of his own Qualifi-
cations for appearing in ſuch Company;
this his new Friend faw as well as the
reft, and, by two or three very familiar
Arguments, got the better of it: They
ſtep'd into the Chariot together; and, as
they went along, our Hero expreffing a
Defire to know who the Lady was, to
whoſe Houſe they were going; the Fo-
reigner anſwer'd him in Terms, which,
put into Engliſh, would have run about
thus:
• THE
96
The ADVENTURES of
<
.
THE Lady, Sir, to whom I fhall
this Evening have the Honour to in-
troduce you, is at once, perhaps, the
greateft and the leaſt Woman in the
Kingdom. I wou'd begin my Ac-
count of her, with telling you who fhe
is, if I was informed of that Circum-
ſtance, which I am apt to believe I
fhou'd be, if fhe was acquainted with
• it herfelf. You will find her in the
Houſe of, or perhaps, more properly
in the fame Houfe with, a Gentleman,
whoſe Name fhe bears, and whom
you wou'd join in the Opinion of the
World, and fuppofe to be her Father,
but that you will fee him behave to
• her with all the Refpect due from a
Dependant; and the Lady to him,
with an Air of eafy Superiority, tho'
temper'd with the utmoft Politenefs.
<
<
<
€
<
t
IF you hear her converfe in Public,
you will declare her to have ſtudy'd
only the Arts of Courts; if in a more
private Party, you will think Familia-
rity itſelf inſpires every Part of her
Deportment, and Judgment every
• Sentiment of her Converfation: En-
gage her on a Topic of the Belles Letters,
6
"
• and
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 97
and you will imagine her Life has been
' devoted to Reading; but hear her touch
the Harpfichord, and you will retract
all your former Opinions, and affert,
that the rest of her Qualifications
• muſt be innate; for that this alone
• cannot have been acquir'd at lefs Ex-
pence than that of her whole Life's
Application.
6
C
C
:
You will find her Houſe crowded
• with People of the firft Quality; a fo-
reign Ambaſſador never was four Days
among us, without being introduced
to her; or half four Days afterwards,
during his whole Stay, without vifit-
ing her.
'
C
C
You won't find her wantonly pro-
fufe of Money, but you will never fee
• an Inftance of her wanting it, any
• more than ****•
The Foreigner
was going on in his Character, when
the Chariot ſtop'd at the Door, and
prevented farther Converfation.
OUR Hero was introduc'd to the
Lady of the Houſe in form, and, having
the good Fortune to come in early, he
F
had
98
The ADVENTURES of
had the Pleaſure to convince himſelf, in
a Quarter of an Hour's Converfation
with her, that all the Foreigner had
advanc'd, was little, in Compariſon of
what he ought to have faid. Mr Edwards,
who never made a Compliment to an
unworthy Object, was always ready to fay
every civil thing to a Perfon's Face, that
he had Reaſon to fay any where elſe:
The Lady was not difpleafed with his
Addrefs, tho' much out of the uſual
Style; but ſhe told him with an honeft
Bluſh, that her Place in his good Opi-
nion wou'd be but very fhort-liv'd, for
that he wou'd in a few Minutes fee two
Perſons there, before whom, no other
female Pretenfions to any Merit in Con-
verfation cou'd ſtand.
THE Words were hardly deliver'd,
before two Ladies enter'd, who, it was
eafy to diftinguifh by their Manner,
were greatly above the common Level:
The one of them wore in her Face all
the jovial Pleaſantry of Milton's Eu-
phrofyne; and the open Countenance
and free Soul of the other were never
repreſented but in the Liberality of Guido.
It was eaſy to find by half a dozen
Sentences, that thefe were the Rivals.
the
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 99
:
!
the Lady of the Houſe had told him of:
Whether he wou'd have allow'd them all
that Pre-eminence that her modeft Opi-
nion of her own Qualifications had de-
clar'd for, we have indeed no Power to
inform the Reader; for, after fome
Congratulations to another Lady, who
came in immediately afterwards, in
which ſhe was told, that every thing
follow'd the Interefts of her Family;
that Lord H
Principal; Mr S
and Bifhop H-
,
was appointed
-, his Subftitute,
the Inftructor;
the Card Tables were fet, the Pharaoh
Bank eſtabliſhed, and the Company
grew intent on their Diverfion, and
ſpent the fucceeding five Hours in do-
ing very little more than what Automa-
tons of Wood and Wire might have
perform'd as advantageouſly.
MR Edwards, whofe utter Unacquain-
tance with all Games of Skill render'd
him no fort of Match for any body at
the Whift or Brag Parties, left a hun-
dred Pounds behind him at the Pharaob
Table, and very coolly repair'd to his
Bed by four in the Morning.
F 2
CHAP.
100
The ADVENTURES of
CHAP. VII.
A Diſſertation on the modern Art of
Humbugging.
TH
HERE is a Species of Wit, if
according to the modern Cuftom
we may be allow'd to call Lying by that
Name, which was very fucceſsfully
laugh'd out of the World fome Years
ago by the Spectator; but as Nature,
tho' you push her off with a Pitchfork,
as Horace fays, will return upon you, the
Triumph of that Author was but tem-
porary; it has of late been revived a-
mong us with many additional Advan-
tages, and is at this Day practis'd with
great Succefs in every polite Company
in Town.
IN the Days of the Spectator, the
Art, however odious it appeared to him,
confifted in one fimple Propofition, and
was no more than the telling a plain bare-
fac'd Falfehood with an undaunted Coun-
tenance: A Fellow, who cou'd inform his
Friend, that his Father had juſt broke
his Neck; or a Stranger, that his Houſe
was burnt down two Hours before, and,
after
*
Mr George Edwards, a Creole.
ΙΟΙ
after giving them half a Day's Pain and
Anxiety, cou'd excufe the Lye, and
claim the Title of a Man of Wit, by
pronouncing aloud the Word Bite, was
at the Head of the Science: But, in our
more improv'd Age, the Profeſſors of
it have done well to change it's Name,
as they have indeed made it a more com-
plex and intricate Art.
THE Profeffor of the modern Humbugg,
for fuch is the polite Name of this Quali-
fication, muft either have from Nature an
unalterable Countenance, or from Art a
Power of commanding all it's fucceffive
Variations, and preferving it inviolably
in each, as long as the prefent Situation.
of the Cafe renders it neceffary; he muſt
have a Head full of Imagination, and
a Heart empty of every Trace of Can-
dour or Humanity: The firft Sacrifice
he muft make to it is Truth, the next is
Friendſhip: No Man is a proper Object
of it who has not Integrity enough, or a
fufficiently good Opinion of the Perfon
who abufes him, to fuppofe him incapa-
ble of Fraud or Meannefs; and it can
never be exerted with fuccefs against any
one, but fuch as either the Perfon that
employs it, calls his Friend; or who
F 3
has
102
The ADVENTURES of
has real Merit enough to fupport fome
Degree of Praiſe.
UNDER thefe Circumſtances the
Humbugger attacks the Man whom he
has felected for his Butt; and, while he
proſtitutes his own Candour to the rai-
fing his good Opinion of himſelf too
high, he gives the Signal to every body
about him to laugh at him for a Cox-
comb, for doing fo.
A SERVILE Flattery is the Bafis of this
great Branch of the Art, but, while it
poffeffes all the Meannefs of that Quali-
ty, it infinitely excels it in Degree, and
adds, to all the Baſeneſs of the Vice itſelf,
that of it's being done with a profeſs'd
Intent to hurt the Object.
IT was the Fortune of our Hero to
meet with one of the honeft and inge-
nious Gentlemen who profeſs this noble
Art, at the Rout where he ſpent his
Evening juft defcribed; had it not been fo,
gentle Reader, thou would'ft, in all Pro-
bability, never have found this Digreffion
concerning the Art itſelf in our Memoirs.
The Gentleman of that polite Company,
who was poffefs'd of this amiable Quali-
fication,
A
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 103
fication, had it not fingle; he profefs'd
alfo the honeft and ingenious Art or
Trade, by whichever Name it may be
propereft to call it, of the Gamefter,
and by the help of a Partner who under-
ſtood him, and had learnt his Signals,
made a tolerable Livelihood of Whift.
THAT his Partner in the Art might
be leſs fufpected, he took Care the Per-
fon fhou'd be of the Sex leaft liable to
fuch a Sufpicion: he had begun with
teaching her the Game in an uncommon-
ly perfect Manner; and, after this, had
inftructed her in his Signals, by Means
of which, by the artful Difpofition of
the Fingers, and certain mute Signs from
the Feet, they were able to inform one
another of every Card in their Hands.
The drawing the Hand down one fide
of the Face, when a freſh Suit was play'd,
exprefs'd the having the Ace; the open-
ing the Hand of Cards, the King; the
drawing them clofer, the Queen; and
no Signal at all, the Knave; a gentle
Touch of the Foot was the Notice of
one-Honour; a Repetition of it defcrib'd
two, and fo of the reſt.
F4
By
104
The ADVENTURES of
By this Means, Whift became an
Eſtate to both of them : They play'd the
Game fo well, that, when they were ſe-
parate, they had more than equal Chance
of winning; and, and when they hap-
pen'd to be Partners, nothing cou'd
prevent it; they made Money more or
lefs of every body they play'd with, but
their great Market was, when they cou'd
fix upon fome Man of large Fortune
and little Diſcernment: On theſe Occa-
fions, they never were at a loſs to find a
Partner for their Dupe, who wou'd pro-
mote deep Play, and be beat as often
as they pleas'd, on the eafy Condition
of having his Money return'd to him
with ſome ſmall Advantages; and they
found one Means or other uſually to
keep up the Spirit of fuch a Party, as
long as the Perſon, on whoſe Account it
was inftituted, was worth Six-pence.
MR Pliant, for fo was the little Beau
called, whofe Character we have been
giving, had mark'd Edwards, at his firſt
Entrance into the Room, as a gentle.
Innocent, or, in his own Phraſe, a Pigeon,
cut out on purpoſe for his Plan; it
was with great Joy he found foon af-
terwards
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 105
terwards he was a Creole, as, from that
Circumſtance alone, he thought himſelf
fufficiently let into the Secret of his
Qualifications and Improvements; and
he had no fooner feen him lofe a hundred
Pounds without Emotion, than he fet
him down upon his Lift, for a Prize of
at least four Thoufand.
A BUBBLE of this Confequence was
worth taking fome Pains to fecure; the
only Accidents that cou'd crofs Mr
Pliant's Purpofe, were, that another
Party might ſecure him, or that he might
at one time or other ſuſpect the Means.
of their Succefs; to evade the Poffibility
of either of thefe, Mr Pliant call'd in to
the Affiſtance of Sharping the Siſter Art
of Humming. He waited on Mr Edwards
early the next Morning at his Lodgings,
told him he had enough to plead in Ex-
cufe of the Abruptnefs of fuch a Viſit, for
that it was intended only to prevent Mif-
chief; and concluded, Sir, You are a
'
C
Stranger to the Dangers you may run.
in Town, in the Way to an Amour that.
is worth purfuing. I obferv'd your
Eyes, continued he, very bufy about
the Neck of Lady Blocm, and I may
tell you, under the Precautions I fhall
F 5
give
106 The ADVENTURES of
<
<
<
give you, that you are not indifferent
to her. Shall I fay, I read it in her
Eyes? I'll tell you the Truth, ſhe en-
quir'd after you of me, with an Emo-
tion that was too much for Curiofity
alone to have infpir'd: You may have
her, if you purſue her, but you have a
Rival that will be troublefome: You
faw the tall genteel Fellow with pale
< Hair, that leant over her: He mark'd
every Glance on both fides between
you: Indeed, he will not be very
hafty, I believe, in a Thing of this
Kind, becauſe he has been unhappy
enough to kill two People already,
but I dare not affure you, he will part
with his Miſtreſs tamely.'
<
4
<
،
MR Edwards, who had liften'd with
an unalter'd Countenance to this Narra-
tion, anſwer'd coolly: I fhou'd ima-
gine, Sir, there is no Man who
wou'd refuſe to draw his Sword on fo
good an Occaſion.'
I don't fup-
poſe, Sir, reply'd Pliant eagerly, that
you wou'd; but I thought it Friend-
ſhip, nay indeed, but common Hu-
manity to a Stranger, to inform you
of the Superiority of your Rival in this
Point. As to the Sword, he is in
continual
<
<
C
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 107
• continual Practice; and, for Piſtols, it
has been his Cuſtom to fire at a Six-pence
• twenty Times a Day, for thefe two Years,
• on Account of an Officer of Horſe,
• who has been all that Time in France,
and with whom he has an Engagement.
⚫ of this Kind at his Return. This Gen-
tleman, you are to know, Sir, is as
famous for the Piftol, as your Rival
is for the Sword; and all this Prepara-
tion has hardly yet fet him upon the
level with him.'
Ir was eaſy, from Mr Edwards's
Anfwer, to find that he was taken in, as
the Phraſe runs, that is, that he did not
ſuppoſe Mr Pliant to be a Lyar or a
Rafcal; and that he had a good Opinion
enough of himſelf, to believe it very
poffible a Woman of Confequence might
be in Love with him; perhaps Mrs.
Sparkle had conduc'd not a little to open-
ing the Way to this Miſchief, by the
extravagant Encomiums fhe had be-
ftow'd on his Perfon and Accompliſh-
ments. Many a Man has fallen a Sacri-
fice to the Vanity and Ingratitude of his
Miſtreſs on fuch an Occafion, and an
honeft Fellow has no fooner talk'd a Wo-
man he likes into a Belief that fhe is an:
Angel,
F 6
108 The ADVENTURES of
{'
Angel, and that all Womankind are con-
temptible in Compariſon of her, than ſhe
determines, fince this is the Cafe, not
to throw fuch Charms away upon him.
And Mr Edwards's Miſtreſs now feems
to have fhar'd the fame Fate. It wou'd
not have been eaſy, by any other Means,
to have ſtop'd the Torrent of his Ado-
ration for the divine Sparkle; but no
fooner the more divine Lady Bloom ap-
pear'd as her Rival, than confcious from
that Miſtreſs's Flattery, that he might
carry this, if he lik'd it, he determin'd
that he wou'd.
He thank'd Mr Pliant very politely
for this Act of Friendſhip, and prefs'd
him to breakfaft with him; at Noon,
they went into the Park, where one of
the first Objects that met their Eyes, was
Lady Bloom, jigging along the Mall
with all the Freedom of Air of the un-
happy Libertines, who were throwing
themſelves in the Way of every body
they came near for Bread, and drefs'd
perfectly in the faſhionable Tafte, that
is, fo like thoſe unhappy Creatures, that
nothing but a perfonal Knowledge of her
cou'd have prevented the taking her for
one of them.
OUR
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 109
OUR Party paid their Compliments
as they pafs'd her, and fhe return'd them
with a moft graceful Smile, and with a
Stoop of the Head, that exprefs'd a
Mixture of Satisfaction, and of a tender
Languor. This, tho' it meant nothing
at that Time, had been copy'd from
fome happy Fair one, in whom it ex-
prefs'd all that our Hero thought he read
in it on this Occafion.
HOWEVER favourable Mr Ed-
wards's Ideas might be from this Cir-
cumftance, certain it is, he had rais'd
them on a very flight Foundation, for
the Lady, at this Time, knew nothing
of the Matter: She had directed her
Compliment folely to Mr Pliant, who
knew too much of the World to under-
ſtand any thing more by it than fhe meant:
He did not fail, however, to place it
all to the Account of his Friend; he
told him, there was evidently Love
enough in her Soul, but he wish'd, for
both their Sakes, fhe had more Difcre-
tion: He beg'd leave to quit him for a
Moment, and walking up to her Lady-
ſhip, who was a Woman of great Spirit,
and fond of Raillery to an uncommon
Degree,
ΣΙΟ The ADVENTURES of
Degree, he told her fo much of his
Plot upon the Creole as regarded her-
felf, and the promis'd with great Readi-
nefs to join in the Humm, and promote
it to the utmoſt.
WE Mention this as an Inftance,
how eaſy it is for a Man to be deceiv'd,
where a Female is in the Party againſt
him; and how naturally a Woman of
Faſhion may, while fhe intends only to
be witty, become an Accomplice with
a Pick-Pocket. Nature never form'd a
Man fo happily for the Exerciſe of this
polite Species of Wit as Mr Pliant; the
natural Delicacy of his Perfon, the Soft-
nefs of his Manner, the interefting Com-
plaifance that ſhew'd itſelf in him on every
Occafion, and the unlimited Command
he had over the Muſcles of his Face,
confpir'd to render it natural and un-
fufpected in him: He told our Hero,
with great apparent Good-nature,
that he had been faying every Thing
in the World, in his Favour, to the
Lady, and at the fame Time preach-
ing up fome Caution to her. Mr
Edwards was full of Acknowledge-
ments for his good Offices, and the
Morning concluded with his new Friend's
engaging
-
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 111
engaging him to dine at his Houſe,
where, by perfect Accident, there hap-
pen'd to be a Lady, who was an Inti-
mate of Lady Bloom's, and who was
no fooner inform'd of the Violence of
the Lover's Paffion for her Ladyfhip,
than fhe promis'd to do every Thing in
her Power in his Favour.
3
CHAP.
·
1
A
I12
The ADVENTURES of
CHAP. VIII.
The Happiness of a Family Acquaintance ;
and the Advantages that fometimes ac-
crue from it.
L
ADY Bloom did not fail to con-
tribute her Share to the Entertain-
ment that was to be furnish'd from our
Hero's Paffion for her; fhe half kill'd
her Chairmen with the Hurry of running
from one Houfe to another, to give an
Account of it; nor did fhe ftop her
Courſe, till fhe had told every Female,
and moft of the Males of her Acquain-
tance, of the new-landed Savage, who
fancy'd fhe was defperately in Love
with him. As to the Lady our Hero
had been fo happy to meet with at
his Friend Beau Pliant's, fhe was no
other than the Perfon we have already
celebrated, as the Accomplice of that
induftrious Chevalier,
Chevalier, at his Whift
Schemes.
OUR Hero now thought himſelf ex-
treamly happy: He had got rid of the
troubleſome Acquaintance of his Uncle,
he knew not how or why: He had Mo-
ney
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 113
ney in Plenty in his Pocket; he was on
the high Road to an Intrigue with the
fineſt Woman in Town; and he had
made an Acquaintance, as it appear❜d to
him, in the moſt agreeable fociable Fa-
mily in the World, and more particu-
larly an Intimacy with a Man, who ef-
teem'd and lov'd him, and who ap-
pear'd as able as willing to ſerve him in
a thouſand different Circumftances.
THUS it appear'd to Mr Edwards at
leaft; and thus, gentle Reader, whoe-
ever thou art, it has many times ap-
pear'd to thee, when thy ill Fate has
been as bufy for thy Ruin, as our He-
ro's at this Time was for his. He
play'd at Cards every Afternoon at
Mr. Pliant's; he met Lady Bloom every
Evening at one Rout or other; he ne-
ver made the leaft Advances to her, that
were not return'd with an open Free-
dom; and he could, on every Occaſion,
fee the Eyes of the whole Company
fixed with Envy, as he underſtood it,
upon him: If he obferv'd them laugh,
he concluded it was at her indifcrete
Paffion, but this he never fo much as
wifh'd to check: He was of an Age at
which the Boafting of an Amour is one
of
114 The ADVENTURES of
of the greateſt Pleaſures that attends it,
and is a Pleaſure that feldom is fup-
prefs'd, tho' the Price of it be the Re-
putation of the Perfon in the World,
to whom the Betrayer has moft Obli-
gations. An Obfervation this, which,
if rightly attended to, would keep every
Woman, who has the leaft Regard for
her Reputation, from engaging in an
Intrigue with any Man under Eight and
Twenty.
THE true State of our Hero's Af-
fairs at this time, however, was, that he
had a Sum fufficient to encourage him
in Extravagance, not to fupport him in
it; he had loft the only Acquaintance in
the World, who would have thought it
worth while to adviſe him; he had made
an Intimacy with a Man, who had en-
gag'd him in a Purfuit that made him
the Jeft of every Company he fell into,
and who, with the Affiftance of his
friendly Family, had by Degrees ftrip-
ped him, hundred by hundred, of every
Guinea he had been Mafter of; and,
under Colour of giving him a Chance
for winning back, had afterwards got
him eight hundred and fifty Guineas in
Debt to him: For this he very good-
naturedly
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 115
naturedly, accepted a Draught upon Un-
cle Jeremy, payable at Sight, having been
previously inform'd, that the Father had
given him an unlimited Bill of Credit
on that Gentleman.
THE
[ 117 ]
១
THE
ADVENTURES
OF
Mr George Edwards,
A CRE O L E.
BOOK the Third,
In which the Hero makes great Ad-
vances toward becoming a Philofo-
pher of the firſt Claſs.
CHA P. I.
A Scheme of Beau Pliant's on our Hero
does not fucceed perfectly to his Ex-
pectation.
T is a Maxim with the Peo-
ple of Mr Pliant's Stamp,
that the Money they have
won is never fecure till 'tis
in their Pocket. This Gen-
tleman had not been poffefs'd of Mr
Edwards's Draught five Minutes, before
he
118 The ADVENTURES of
he took Occafion to leave the Room on
fome flight Pretence, and hurry'd to the
Perſon of whom he was to receive the
Cafh. The Habitation of Mr Jeremy
Edwards was one of the laft in the
World into which a Stranger could get
Admittance: The gentle Ruth had re-
ceived him at the Door, and, as her
Maſter was abfent, had inquired into his
Buſineſs, but in vain. He had told her
he would come again in half an Hour,
and determined not to return Home
without fome Certainty as to fo confide-
rable a Sum: He repeated this kind
of Viſit four Times, and fpent the in-
termediate Periods in no very patient
Humour at Will's Coffee-houſe.
THE Draught had been put into his
Hands immediately after Dinner; and
as all the Vifits he had made to Mr Je-
remy had been paid in the two Hours
fucceeding that Time, which were thoſe
he always ſpent in the Park, the pru-
dent Domeftic, though ſhe did not think
it adviſeable to fend a Stranger to him in
that Place, had, from the Poffibility of
her Maſter's calling in at Home before
his going to the Coffee-houfe, told the
Vifiter, that he might very likely fee
him,
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 119
him, if he call'd again after ſuch a
Time.
"
MR Pliant was looking at his
Watch, and ſomewhat impatiently wait-
ing for the Termination of the Half-
hour, at the End of which he was to
make his fifth Vifit, when a Porter de-
liver'd a Letter at the Bar, which he
defired might be given to Mr. Edwards
with all Speed. Mr Pliant had been
thoroughly diffatisfied with the Appear-
ance of every thing about Uncle fere-
my's Apartments; and, if he could have
imagin'd that the Owner of them could
poffibly have been known at ſo polite a
Coffee-houfe as this, would long before
have enquired into his Circumftances of
the Lady of the Houfe. He no fooner
therefore heard the Name of Edwards
pronounced by this Meffenger, than he
walked haftily up to the Bar, and en-
quired whether the Mr Edwards, for
whom that Letter was left, was a Mr
Jeremy Edwards, who lived in a ſtrange
Dungeon at the Bottom of the Yard:
He was going to enquire who and what
he was, but thefe and all farther Quef-
tions were prevented, by the Arrival of
another Perfon, whom the Name Ed-
wards
120
The ADVENTURES of
wards and the Sight of a Letter had
brought to the Scene of Enquiry almoſt
as foon as himſelf, and who, ftretching
out a yellow, wrinkled, meagre, long-
nail'd, unwafh'd Hand, with half the
fhirtleſs Arm belonging to it from un-
der the Covert of a greafy Sleeve, at
the fame Time that he feized upon the
Letter, turn'd up his grey, lack-luftre,
Eye to the Face of the blooming Mr
Pliant, and telling him, It was a Dun-
geon into which no fuch powder'd Beg-
gars as he would ever find Admittance,
very coolly walk'd back to his Seat,
without deigning to caft one Look back
upon the Object of his Contempt.
IT was indeed with fome Kind of
Reaſon that Mr Jeremy had exprefs'd
himſely fo feverely on this Occafion, for,
additionally to the Infult convey'd by
the Word Dungeon in Mr Pliant's
Queſtion, he could not but recollect that
he had lent many Sums to People of
that Figure, who had brought others,
like themſelves, in fufficient Number to
join in the Security, but that he had
never once been paid a Debt of that
Kind in his Life, nor ever been able to
find any one of the People afterwards.
This
Mr George Edwards, a Creole.
121
This had given him a very well-ground-
ed Contempt for Powder and Embroi-
dery on a Borrower; and, as he could
not ſuppoſe there was any other Buſineſs
a Stranger of this Figure could poſſibly
have with him, he would have been
ready enough to have given him his
Anfwer, in the fame Kind of Terms,
without the additional Provocation of
the Affront he had received.
MR Pliant was thoroughly diffatif-
fied at the Figure of the Man on whom
his Draught was made, and as heartily
mortify'd at the unlucky Step he had
taken towards his Acquaintance. A
Moment's Confideration recover'd him,
however, from his Confufion, and in-
form'd him that it was his Buſineſs, at
all Events, to fee an End of the Affair
he came about, before he joined his
Company again. He walk'd up to the
Table, at which the old Gentleman was
feated, and told him, he could eaſily
paſs over the Incivility of his Addrefs
to him, as himſelf had ignorantly, and
indeed rudely, given the Occafion to it;
and added, that, when he was at Leiſure,
he fhould be glad of an Opportunity of
G
com-
!
The ADVENTURES of
122
communicating to him the Buſineſs he
came about.
THE old Gentleman had broke the
Seal of his Letter, and was wiping his
Spectacles, in order to read it, when he
received this civil Speech from Mr Pli-
ant. He continued the Operation, du-
ring the Time he was delivering it, and
for fome Minutes after, at the End of
which he very deliberately put them on,
and without beftowing a Word, or even
a Look on the Beau, open'd and be-
gan to read the Letter.
MR Pliant, who was now fenfible
enough that it was not his Bufinefs to
put the old Fellow out of Humour, fat
patiently, while he read it; which, as he
did it very deliberately, and as the Let-.
ter confifted of three Sides, and was not
written in the beft Hand in the World,
took up no very ſmall Portion of Time:
When he had got to the Bottom of the
laft Page, he very calmly turned it over,
and, inſtead of folding it up as Mr Pliant
had expected, began to read it again.
The Beau ftill kept his Patience, tho'
under the additional Provocation of
having the Eyes of the whole Company
upon him, and being very fenfible that
his
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 123
his Complaifance would be conftru'd, by
many of them who knew him, not
greatly to his Advantage. At length,
the old Gentleman, having finiſhed the
fecond Perufal of his Letter, carefully
folded it up, and, taking off his Specta-
cles, looked full in the Face of Mr.
Pliant, and faid, I tell you, Friend, it
don't fignify Waiting, I won't lend
you a Farthing.'
<
THIS was fpoke fo loud, that Mr
Pliant found it neceffary, in order to
clear his own Honour, to do a Thing
which Prudence would otherwife have
pleaded very ſtrongly againft, and to
anfwer him as loud, Sir, I have a
Draught of eight hundred Pounds on
you, from your Nephew, for Money
lent him: Will you pay it or not?'
6
6
THE Name of eight hundred Pounds,
advanced to his Nephew by any body
but himſelf, raifed the old Fellow in a
Pofture of Horror from his Seat: He
look'd upon Pliant as a Man who had
robb'd him of the Intereft of that Sum
at fifty per Cent, and that had laid a
Scheme for fupplanting him in all his fu-
ture Defigns upon the young Fellow: His
G 2
Face
;
124
The ADVENTURES of
Face increaſed it's Length by two Inches;
a Palfy could not have fhook his whole
Frame more violently, than this unex-
pected Attack did: His Spectacles
dropp'd from his unnerv'd Hand, and,
tho' they broke in the Fall, he never
remember'd that it would coft a Shilling
to mend them. He ftood fpeechlefs in
this Agony for fome Moments: But,
Mr Pliant at length repeating his Queſ
tion aloud, the old Fellow recover'd the
Ufe of his Voice enough to anſwer,
No! I'll never pay it: He knows he
might have any Money he pleas'd of
me, and I don't underſtand how you
came by this.' Mr Pliant, who had
been thorough provok'd by the pre-
ceding Behaviour of the old Fellow,
grew outrageous at this Sufpicion of his
Honour; a Quality about which it is ob-
ferv'd, that thofe People are always moſt
follicitous who have leaft of it: He did
not condefcend to anſwer, but, rifing on
tiptoes for the Blow, levell'd a Stroke
with his Cane at the old Fellow's Head,
which would, in all Probability, have
put a Period to his Exiſtence, much
fooner than the Laws of this Hiftory
require, had it not been ſtopp'd, in it's
Defcent, by the Arm of a plain-drefs'd,
<
C
3
grave
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 125
grave Man who fat juft behind; and
who, feeing the Miſchief that was com-
ing, receiv'd no inconfiderable Hurt in
the preventing it: The Stranger was
for pleading in favour of the Uncle,
that the Care of his Nephew might
very well be an Excufe for what he
had faid, when Pliant, making no
doubt that he, who had taken fuch
a Blow without Refentment, wou'd
bear more, turn'd all the Torrent of his
Fury on the new Object.
THE Stranger feiz'd his Arm with a
very rude Gripe, as the firſt Blow was
coming, and directing his Foot to
a Part, in which Hudibras very whim-
fically fuppofes Honour to be lodg'd,
rais'd his light Antagoniſt, by the Force
of the Kick, aloft from the Ground,
which he did not reach again, till at
about four Yards Diſtance, and then
not in an erect Pofture.
THE Beau, as foon as he had got up
on his Legs again, told the Stranger he
defir'd to ſpeak two Words to him;
which he had no fooner whiſper'd in his
Ear, than the other anfwered aloud : • F
• have no Reaſon to believe you'll keep
G 3
• your
C
x26 The ADVENTURES of
།
your Appointment: Does any body
• here know you?' Here was a Que-
ftion, in which Mr Plant's Honour was
again concern'd, and which his Intereft
had alſo fome Connexion with. He faw
People enough who knew him, but not
one on whofe good Opinion he cou'd
depend, in Regard to his Claim to the
Debt; till at length he obferv'd a Ero-
ther of the Lay, as they expreſs it, at
one of the Tables, whom he had not
feen before, and who was no other than
the Foreigner who had made young Ed-
wards acquainted with Sparkle, and had
ftrip'd him afterwards of fomewhat
more than his original Allowance;
Pliant's Eyes were no fooner fix'd on
this Gentleman, than, depending on that
Honour which fubfifts between all the
Perfons of this Stamp, There,' fays
he, there is a Gentleman whom I have
the Honour to be known to, and who
was prefent at George's when I lent the
Money, about which all this Diſpute
has been.' If the Uncle had look'd on
Pliant as a Man who was robbing him
of the Advantages he might make of the
Extravagances of his Nephew, this Gen-
tleman, who had ſeen that happy Adven-
turer carry the Youth off from the Park
<
'
6
the
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 127
}
the Morning before, and who now found
what Ufe he had made of the Acquain-
tance, receiv'd him with a ſtill more
hateful Eye: He wou'd perhaps have
kept his Secrets at another Time, or
wou'd not have fcrupled to have ly'd,
or been perjur'd, for him; but here was
a Cafe which touch'd himſelf too nearly.
Honour, when not founded on Honefty,
is but an imaginary Exiftence; Intereſt
now pleaded againſt the Adherence to it,
on the Foreigner's Part, and he reply'd
without Hefitation, that he knew Mr
Pliant very well: That he did not pre-
tend to fay any Thing, in regard to the
Diſpute with that Gentleman; but, Sir,
fays he, addreffing himſelf to the Uncle,
• Í never ſaw him lend any Money to your
Nephew, and, as to the Draught, I don't
doubt but it is for a Play-Debt, and I
think you fhou'd enquire farther into
the Gentleman's Character, before you
pay it.'
PLIANT, who had very unhap-
pily miſtaken his Man in the former
Attack, knew fo much of this Knight
of the Induſtry, that he determin'd at once
to revenge his Quarrel, and eſtabliſh his
Reputation again at his Expence. He
G 4
fell
128 The ADVENTURES of
fell violently on him, firſt with his Cane,
and afterwards with his Fifts.
The o-
ther was the ſtronger, tho' Pliant was
the more active: Many a hard Blow
was given on each Side, and Victory had
hung out her Scales in exact Equilibrio
for a confiderable Time; when at length
a Trip over one of the Benches having
brought Monfieur Le Guardien to the
Ground, and every body calling out,
that it was unfair to beat him, when he
was down; the Ufurer flew to the Af
fiftance of his routed Champion, and
made fo excellent a Ufe of thoſe Wea-
pons, with which, we have before had oc-
cafion to obſerve, the Extremities of
his Fingers were arm'd by Nature, that
Mr Pliant's Face was, in an Inftant,
cover'd with Blood and Wounds; and
the Pain, which was too much for a
Man of his delicate and tender Nerves
to bear, oblig'd him to put an End to
the Combat.
CHAP.
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 129
CHA P. II.
A Vifit from the Friend of our Hero to
Mr Pliant: The Strange Confequences
it was attended with.
T is very beneficent of Providence,
that, amidſt the vaſt Portion of Know-
ledge we boaſt of having been favour'd with.
from her, we have no immediate Means of
receiving Notices of Events, beyond the.
Reach of our Senfes. Tho' the Scene of
Mr Pliant's Diftrefs was fcarce a hun-
dred Yards from his own Houfe, every
Circumftance of it was as profound a
Secret to every body at home, as if it had
happen'd in the Dominions of the Great
Mogul Every thing there was in the
ufual innocent Tranquillity; a Vifiter
had accidentally drop'd in, who fupply'd
the Place of Mr Pliant, at a Corner of
a Whift-Table, and the Family were
ftripping the unfortunate Mr Edwards as
ufual, and comforting him with the cer-
tain Amends he was to receive in the For-
tune and Virtues of a Wife; when a
fingle Rap at the Door call'd up the
Footman from the Arms of his Mauxa--
lind, and he immediately uſher'd in a
Perfom
G 5
130
The ADVENTURES of
Perſon who declar'd himſelf a Stranger
to the Family, but had infifted on fpeak-
ing with Mr Edwards that Inftant.
THE Company were ſtrangely alarm'd
at the Entrance of a plain Figure of a Man,
with fo odd an Introduction, imagining
from the Circumftances, that he cou'd be
no other than one of thofe Officers of Ju-
ftice, with the Nature of whofe Vifits, the
fwift Viciffitudes of Mr Pliant's For-
tune had made every body that belong'd
to him fufficiently acquainted: They
were rifing in Confufion from the Table,
when Mr Edwards, whofe Surprize was
of a very different Kind, drop'd his
Cards, and in an Inftant, throwing his
Arms about the Neck of the Stranger,
who was indeed no other than Mr Spence,
pour'd forth a Profufion of Tranſport,
intermingled with Complaints of his hav-
fo long abfented himſelf from him.
His Friend anfwer'd, that he had no
Right to fhew himſelf before him, even
now, according to the Terms of their
Parting, nor indeed cou'd have any :
That he did not blame, but compaf-
fionate him for the Conditions under
which he had offer'd to renew their Ac-
quaintance,
!
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 131
quaintance, which, he acknowledg'd,
were altogether equitable, tho' unprac-
ticable: Our Hero ftop'd him as he was
going on in theſe Explanations, with a
thouſand Proteftations of his Senfe of
his own Folly, of his Unhappineſs while
he had loft his Aquaintance, and of his
Refolutions never to part with him
again: The Company were very happy
in the different Opinion they now took
up of the Stranger, and were congratu-
lating themſelves on the Change of the
Scene, when a thundering Knock at the
Door uſher'd in the Mafter of the Fa-
mily, in the lamentable Situation we
have before pictur'd him, as he aroſe
from under the Talons of Uncle Jeremy;
and with the additional Horror of a
black Eye, which he had receiv'd from
the other Combatant.
THE Face of Diftrefs, with which
Mr Pliant enter'd his Parlour, was
rais'd into tenfold Horror, on his feeing
the Perfon there, whom we have juſt
mention'd, as added to the Com-
pany: He funk into a Chair, and, while
the Family were all gathering about him,
commanded Silence with his Hand
while Mr Spence, who was ftill addref-
G 6
fing
132
The ADVENTURES of
6
C
c
•
I
fing his Difcourfe to his Friend, went
on in this Manner: Tho' I have no
• Right, Mr Edwards, to claim your
Friendſhip on theſe Conditions,
⚫ have Obligations to you, which, had
I no better Motive to it, cou'd not let
me ſtand by and fee you injur'd. I
came hither to you, from a Place,
where three Rafcals (I am ſorry to
tell you, that your Uncle, who either
did not, or wou'd not, know me, is
one, and this Gentleman, who is
paying fo careful an Attention to my
Difcourfe, another of them) were
quarrelling who fhou'd have the fole
• Privilege of ftripping you of every
Farthing, yourſelf or your Father
• cou'd be worth: I left them executing.
a juſt Vengeance on one another; and
during their Scuffle, having learnt who
• this Gentleman was, and that you was
• at this Time with him, have ventur'd,
even into his own Houſe, to do you
• Service,'
G
MR Pliant, whom partly Lofs of Blood,
and partly a Senſe of his preſent Situation,
had render'd, by this Time, much cooler
than when he had engaged in the Scuffle
at the Coffee-houfe, now wou'd have
condefcended
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 133
condeſcended to attempt to reafon with
the Friend of our Hero; but that Gen-
tleman anſwer'd him very coolly and
fhortly: Sir,
Sir, There is a Point you
and I are to fettle hereafter, and
which no Art, no Evafion, on your
6
C.
Part, fhall put off: I know you have
no great Stomach to it; but there is
• but one Condition on which I fhalt
• excufe you, which is your giving up to
this Gentleman the Draught you juſt
• now offer'd to his Uncle, and, with it,
whatever elſe you have, as you will
chufe to phrafe it, won of him: I
fhall be for giving it a harſher Name,
• and I fhall add this to the Difadvan-
tages of your Refufal, that I fhall
make this Circumftance fo public,
• that you will never have fuch another
Opportunity of exerting your Skill
in your Profeffion."
<
Mr Pliant, tho' he cock'd his Hat
fiercely, and cou'd talk loud upon Oc-
cafion, had a natural Averfion to cold
Iron: He faw his Antagonift, in this
Affair, was a hardy, fevere, unmerci-
ful Fellow; and adding, to his Regard
to his Perfon, the Circumftance of the
public
134 The ADVENTURES of
;
public and irretrievable Lofs of his Cha-
racter, which he was threaten'd with
he came to a Refolution, that it was
better to loſe the Advantages of this
one Incident, than to part with the Prof-
pect of all that cou'd hereafter offer to
him He gave up the Draught, paid
back all the Money he had won, and, on
Mr Edwards's making fome Scruple a--
bout taking it back, confefs'd that he'
had not obtain❜d it fairly of him; and took
his Leave of the Friend, with telling.
him: Sir, you are a Man of Honour,
and, now I have made Reparation, I
<
know you will never mention this.'
Mr Spence gave him no Anſwer, but
our Hero promis'd fo much in his Name,
and the Party immediately broke up:
The Maſter of the Houſe kept his Bed
for a Fortnight, and Mr Spence was, '
tho' with fome Difficulty, prevail'd with
to accompany his refcu'd Friend to his
Houſe.
CHAP.
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 135
U N
CHA P. III.
The Gratitude of a Mifer.
}
NCLE Jeremy, tho' he cou'd
very well reconcile it to his Con-
fcience to keep out of his Nephew's
Way, while he was fquandering hist
Money, cou'd by no Means fuffer him-
felf to be abfent while other People were
incroaching upon his Prerogative of
cheating him; he had no fooner got at
Liberty from the Broil at the Coffee-
houfe, than he made the beſt of his Way
to his Houſe: He had been waiting an
Hour in the Dining-room, when our
Hero and his Friend arriv'd: They were
walking in with great Chearfulneſs and
good Humour, when the Uncle's Face,
now render'd infinitely more difagree-
able by the Frown it appear'd dreſs'd in,
forbad the Banns of Pleaſure for that
Time.
He was entering with great Vehe-
mence on the Subject of his Vifit, when
our Hero, to put the ſhorteſt End pof-
fible to fo diſagreeable an Entertainment,
produc'd the Draught which he had re-
cover'd,
136
The ADVENTURES of
cover'd, and immediately after laid
down the Money and Bills he had re-
ceiv'd back with it: All this, Sir,
faid he, I have indeed been defrauded
• of, but I have recover'd it again by
the Friendship of this Gentleman, to
• whom I had before a thouſand Obli-
gations, which you will now be a-
‹ fham'd of having compell'd me to
• make a fhameful Return for.'
<.
(.
C
THE old Fellow affifted his Nephew
in gathering up the Money and Papers,
and faw him lock them fafe up, before
he ſpoke a Syllable: As foon as this was
done: You have been oblig'd to this
Gentleman, you fay, for getting back
your Money, and you fhall be oblig'd
to me for preferving it; he has only
got it back from t'other Rogue, that
• he may plunder you of it himſelf : I
knew him well enough at the Coffee-
houfe, tho' I did not care to fay any
thing to him, whilft he was taking my
• Part; but I have heard from every
body, that he has no vifible Way of
Living; and you may depend upon it,
he'll never leave you, fo long as you
have a Penny he can ftrip you of."
The old Fellow proceeded to infift upon
C.
<
6.
his
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 137
his Nephew's never feeing his Friend
again, and added many Threatenings to
give him up entirely, and to write Word
to his Father, to fend for him back, if
he did not diſcard him that Inſtant.
MR Spence, was filent: There was no-
thing for him to fay to a Perfon fo in-
finitely below his Refentment, and fo
nearly ally'd to his Friend; the young
Fellow, whofe Heart was naturally full
of Gratitude and Generofity, and, at this
Time, was elevated to an uncommon
Height, by the Joy of finding his loft
Friend, and the Senfe of the Obligations
he had to him, cou'd not bear it with
fo much Patience: He beſtow'd fome
harſh Words on the Uncle, and inſiſted
on his leaving the Houfe that Moment.
The old Man wou'd have found it diffi-
cult to have calm'd this Storm, or pre-
vented it's Effects; but Mr Spence very
generously and prudently put a Period
to it, by declaring, he wou'd go himſelf:
Your Uncle, Sir, fays he, unjuſt and
brutiſh as he is to me, has nothing but
the Care of your Affairs in his Thoughts:
And, whatever Reafon I have to be
' provok'd at his Treatment, you have
nothing to accufe him of, but Error."
<
All
138 The ADVENTURES of
}
:
All the Sollicitations in the World cou'd
not prevail with this Gentleman to ftay
longer, than till he had, in fome De-
gre, reconcil'd the Uncle and Nephew ;
nor wou'd he ſo much as fay, where he
fhou'd afterwards be heard of. He
knew the Father's Temper fo well, that
he was too fenfible of the Effect a Com-
plaint from the Uncle wou'd have, to
give the leaſt Pretext, or Occafion for it.
The Uncle, after fome more Altercation,
went Home, and the Hero of our Story
to Bed; but too full of Thought, to
leave any Poffibility of his receiving from
it the ufual Refreſhment.
CHAP.
1
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 139
CHA P. IV.
A Converfation in St James's Park.
THE Lofs of fo worthy, fo noble,
a Friend as Mr Spence, left no
Room in our Hero's Breaft for any
Thoughts, but thofe of the Means of
recovering him. Where to feek after
his Lodgings he was wholly ignorant;
he knew him fo entire a Stranger in
Town, that an Inquiry after him by
Name would be ridiculous; nor was
there any Hope of meeting him either
on Vifits, or at public Diverfions, both
which he had heard him declare an utter
Averfion to.
E
He had ſpent the whole Morning in
hearty Uneafinefs on this Subject, when
a Servant, who attended him
as he
was dreffing, and who had been preſent
at the Conflict of the Night before, gueſ-
fing that this might be the Source of his
prefent Difquiet, told him, that he had
feveral times met that Gentleman alone
in the Park about Noon, and that he
fancy'd he always walk'd there at that
time.
HIS
140
The ADVENTURES of
His Mafter gave him a Guinea for
the Intelligence; affum'd a Look of
Eafe and Chearfulneſs, that he had not
put on the whole Morning before; hur-
ry'd on his Cloaths, and drove imme-
diately to St James's Gate.
He had fcarce fet his Foot in the firſt
Walk, when an inarticulate Noiſe, proba-
bly more like that heard upon the Inftant
of the Confufion of Tongues at Babel,
than any thing elſe in Hiftory, call'd his
Eye toward the Occafion of it: He had
no fooner fac'd about, than he found
himſelf in the Midſt of the jovial Party
from whom it came, which confifted
of eight People, four of each Sex, who
had arranged themſelves together, a
Man and a Woman alternately, and,
joining Hands like Children at Thread-
needle, form'd a ſtraight Line that reach'd
acroſs the Mall, and confequently turn'd
every body they met into one of the
other Walks.
ON the Right were Lady Sophift and
Dr Killdarby, engaged anew in the fa-
mous Diſpute concerning the Immorta-
lity of the Soul; the Lady having
greatly ftrengthend herſelf by fince read-
ing
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 141
ing Mr Toland's Pantheisticon, and the
Doctor having picked up many Argu-
ments on his Side, from a Paper, en-
titled, The Inspector. At the other Ex-
tremity of the Line were the Ladies,
who have chofen to diftinguish them-
felves lately by the very expreffive
Names of the Bold Thunder and the
Brisk Lightning, feparated by a half-
powder'd Beau, of the firft Magnitude;
on the Left of Dr Killdarby, walk'd the
fober, the diſcreet, the pretty Miſs Se-
date ; we join heartily with the gentle
Reader, in wondering how fhe got into
ſuch Company; and in the Center were
poſted the egregious Mr Dupe and the
elegant Lady Bloom.
As our Hero had turned upon them,
they put a forc'd Period to a very
loud Laugh, which it was not proper
he ſhould know was at his Expence :
They had diſcovered him at his firſt En-
trance into the Park; and as Lady
Bloom had been fully let into the Nature
of the Hum fet on Foot by Mr Pliant,
and had, on this Occafion, very good-
naturedly communicated it to the Com-
pany, it had been refolved to make him
the
142 The ADVENTURES of
the Subject of their Entertainment on
this Topic, for the Morning
As the Party extended quite acroſs
the Walk, it was eaſy to pretend they
could not let him into the Chain; and as
he found it impoffible to retreat, after he
had once fac'd about upon them, efpe-
cially as Lady Bloom was of the Party,
he took his Poft folely in front of the
Line, expos'd to Attacks from every
Part of it That the Onfet might not
be too grofs, the Company eafily under-
ftood one another's Minds, and continu-
ed the Subjects of Converfation they
had been diverted from, by the Arrival
of this new Object. Lady Sophift urg'd
her new-learn'd Arguments with an ir-
refiftible Force on the modeft Doctor:
Mr upe was relating to Lady Bloom
the Victory that a hundred and fifty of
his Companions had obtain❜d over fix
People, and the Intrepidity with which
they had dragg'd the Hero of the ad-
verfe Party, like Hector, behind the
Carr of Achilles, thro' a Horſepond;
and the Brisk Lightning, a Lady who
has had her Share of Praife once already
in this Hiftory, was attacking the Beau,
who walk'd on her Left, on his Cruelty
to
· Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 143
•
to the fineſt Creature in the World, who
had nothing in her that he could except
againft, but that fhe lov'd him: The
Beau enjoy'd the Attack as the higheſt
of all human Praife; he look'd with
Contempt and Deteftation to the whole
Sex, and refolutely anfwered, As ex-
cellent an Advocate as you are, Ma-
dam, you will plead in vain on this
Subject, if you fpeak for ever.
know the B- for a Tyrant of old;
many an honeft Fellow's Heart has
ach'd to no purpofe for her: I except
the prefent Company, Madam, elfe,
• damn 'em, 'tis the Way of them all:·
And we, who have any little Share of
Merit, ought to treat them accord-
ingly, and revenge the Quarrel of the
• Sex upon them.'
S
<
6
I
THIS was a fair Opening for the
fettled Buſineſs of the Scene.
• Mr
Edwards,' fays Lady Bloom, with a
dying Look, and a moft amiable Dif
compofure of Face, you are not of
that Brute's Opinion, I hope: If a
Lady of any Degree of Merit ſhould
have Difcernment enough to fee you
were worthy a Paffion of this kind,
you would not devote her to Deftruc-
C
• tion
7.4.4
The ADVENTURES of
tion in this barbarous Manner.'. The
Satisfaction of the whole Company was
too evident on this Attack, not to in-
form our Youth, who did not want
Apprehenfion, on thefe Occafions, that
they were Parties concern'd in the
Queftion: If he could have doubted
this, the Eagernefs with which they
waited his Reply, would have confirmed
him in it; and the utter Difregard paid
to all the other private Difputes of the
reft of the Party, from the Inftant La-
dy Bloom had open'd her Mouth, gave
him full Conviction that he was to be
fhewn off for the Diverfion of the
Company. He determin'd to give into
it to the utmoft, till he found an Oppor-
tunity of retorting the Defign upon her-
felf to fufficient Advantage: He anſwered
with a great deal of Coolness, That
• the Cafe wou'd be by no Means paral-
lel: That, if a Lady fhould honour
• him with a Paffion that could only
C
•
have it's rational Source from fuch
• Accompliſhments, as that Gentleman
was happy in poffeffing, he fhould
< rather condemn her Tafte, than take
Fride in the imaginary Effects of his
own Merit.'
• Eh!
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 145
<
<
6
EH! Badinage!' replies the Lady,
with infinite Affectation, Come, come,
'you know there is not a prettier Fel-
• low in Town than yourſelf, and you
very well know an unhappy Acquain-
tance of mine is too fenfible of it. I
ſeriouſly beg you to declare, before
this Company, that you may not
'think of going back from it, what it
is that you intend to do with her?"
Every thing in the World, Madam,'
reply'd
'd the Youngſter, but believe
her. Your Ladyfhip will pardon me,
continued he, but I cannot help ob-
ferving, this is the laft Subject in the
• World that you are form'd for fhining
upon in Converſation.'
I find, Sir,'
replies the Lady, with a downcaſt Look,
and a very well-affected Sigh,
<
6
'
<
.
<
•
6 you
have really all that Brutality in your
Heart, that this other flighty Monſter
only affects to put on.' The Com-
pany were whiſpering, that Lady Bloom
fhone away gloriouſly this Morning;
that nothing ever came fo near Reality
as this Confufion; and were every one of
them beginning to hate her heartily for
her fuperior Talents at this glorious Art,
when the continued in a faultering Tone,
H
• 'Tis
146 The ADVENTURES of
<
<
6 you-
C
'Tis barbarous in you, Mr Edwards,
to be trifling on fuch a ferious Sub-
ject: Suppoſe, Sir, I were to tell
'The Manner, in which
The pronounced this broken Sentence,
added vaftly to the Applaufe of the
Company, and to their Envy. Lady
Sophift, out of all Patience to be con-
quer'd thus openly in her favourite Art,
could not help hinting, that fhe wiſhed
they were not all humm'd, except the
young Fellow :
For my Part,' fays
the, when Art comes fo very near
Nature, I fhall always be apt to gueſs
there is Nature at the Bottom.' The
Company had not time to deliver their
Sentiments on this interefting Subject,
before the Youth, who now faw the Op-
portunity he had all this time been
waiting for, went up clofe to Lady
Bloom, and in a Whiſper which he took
care all the Company should hear, told
her, I am amaz'd, Madam, you will
urge me in Public upon a Subject, I
have fo honeftly told you my Heart
about already. I know I am in the
‹ Wrong;
but of all Womankind,
charming as you are, you are the laſt
I could think of with Tenderness."
C
IT
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 147
1
A
IT was not Mr Edward's Bufinefs to
wait for an Anſwer to this Declaration;
he turn'd off upon his Heel, and left
the Company without Ceremony. Lady
Bloom was mad with Rage, but in
hopes the Company had not heard what
had been faid to her, and which it was
by no means her Buſineſs to repeat, the
remained filent. The reft of the Party
were no fonder of talking about
a
Thing they did not wifh to fee placed in
a better Light; they dropp'd off one
by one, and fuch hearty Pains did they
take to let the World into the Secret
they had juſt diſcovered, at their Morn-
ing Vifits, that there was not a Card-ta-
ble within the Hundreds of St James's,
at which it was not perfectly known
that Evening, that Lady Bloom was in
Love with a young Creole to Deſpera-
tion, and that he did not like her, nor
would by any means be induced to vifit
her, or ſtay any where in her Company.
H 2
CHAP
148
The ADVENTURES of
CHAP. V.
Character of a very amiable Lady;
whom the Reader will fee Mr Edwards
is in a fair Way to be very well ac-
quainted with.
I
T may be remember'd, that, in the
Lift of the Party our Hero met with
in the Mall, we mention'd a Lady whom
we exprefs'd our Wonder at ſeeing in
fuch Company. Mr Edwards began in
reality, by this time, to look on his late
Flame, Lady Bloom, with all the Con-
tempt he had but affected at their laft
Rencounter. The other celebrated Belles
of the Party did not appear to him in a
much more favourable Light, but it
- was much otherwife in regard to this
fingular Lady; her fenfible Difcourfe,
her decent Deportment, her amiable
Diffidence, and a thouſand other good
Qualities, which thoſe who know Mifs
Sedate, and indeed who is it that does
not? will know it is needleſs to mention,
added to the Artillery of her Looks,
which never failed to command the Ado-
ration they ſeemed not to defire to re-
ceive, had taken deeper hold of his
Heart,
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 149
Heart, than any thing he had yet met
with in the European Quarter of the
Globe.
WE fhall not prefume to call his
Senfations, in regard to this Lady, ab-
folute Love; perhaps that is a Paſſion
the human Breaft is capable of but once;
certainly, all the Emotions he had felt
on theſe Occaſions, among our Women
of Face and Faſhion, were much infe-
rior in their Force and Tenderneſs to
thoſe he had been infpir'd with by Mifs
Wentworth. From the Time of his
receiving the News of that Lady's
Death, he had bid farewel to all.
Thoughts of a Paffion like that which
he had felt for her; but as he had no
Intention to live among Mankind not
like one of the Species, he had given
way to every Effort that feemed at all of
kin to his firſt Thoughts on this Sub-
ject, and perhaps had been as much in
Love with Lady Bloom and Miſs Sparkle,
as a modern fine Gentleman ever is in
Love with any thing.
HIS Ideas of Mifs Sedate arofe to
fomething confiderably more like Ado-
ration, than what he had felt on either
H 3
of
150
The ADVENTURES of
of theſe Occafions; and, if they did not
come up to abfolute Love, they had a
Combination of Defire and Esteem that
approached confiderably near it.
He found Means of enquiring after
her of all the Party in which he had met
her, but he found not one of them, ex-
cept Lady Bloom alone, knew any thing
of her, and that he would not tell. He
had, with fome Difficulty, got her
Name; and he was ſo affiduous in his
Inquiries in all Parts of the Town, and
among all Sorts of People, that he at
length found it belonged to a Daughter
of a very eminent Perfon in the Philofo-
phic World; and whofe perfonal Merit
had raiſed him to the Dignity of
Head of a Body of Men, among whom
Foints of this Nature were difputed
and determin'd.
EVERY body join'd in giving her
a Character, that at once increafed his
Admiration, and convinced him fhe'
was of all Women the beſt form'd for
making a Huſband and a Family happy.
His Fortune was fuch, as her Relations.
he knew could not object to; his re-
puted Eſtate, ſuch as muft gain him
an
}
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 151
an Admittance every-where: The La-
dy's Circumſtances he learn'd, on In-
quiry, were fuch as his Father wou'd
have no Reaſon to be diffatisfied with :
He refolved to marry, and he determin'd
on this Lady as the Woman.
WITH all theſe previous Confidera-
tions fettled, he had determined on the
next Day for the Ceremony of waiting
on her Father. In the Evening before,
he by perfect Accident met with his
Friend again: To him he unbofom'd
his whole Plan; and he was extreamly
happy in finding this Gentleman per-
fectly well knew the Father of the Lady,
and could have given him all the Infor-
mation he had already been at fuch Pains
to obtain. He found, indeed, that he
knew much more of the Family than
any body he had hitherto ſpoke with on
the Subject: He intreated him to inform
him of every thing that he knew of it
without referve, and Mr Spenfe com-
ply'd with his Requeſt in the following
Manner:
C
MR Sedate, the Father of the Lady,
you intend your Addreffes to, is a
Man of Family, Character, and For-
H 4
tune,
152 The ADVENTURES of
• tune.
<
•
८
<
His Reputation in the World,
as a Man of Senfe, is unexceptionable;
and his Eftate is not lefs than three
• thouſand Pounds a Year. The only
Failing in his moral Character is, that
he is eafily impofed on by People
whom he thinks well of, and when
mifled, is incapable of being fet right
again; and the only one in his co-
nomy is, the engaging in an expen-
five Office, which the World at this
time are hardly in a Humour to al-
low an honourable one. I give you
thefe Hints, that you may take Care
to be well with his Friends, whom
I will point out to you, and that you
may not expect your Miſtreſs's
Fortune to be much enlarged by the
Savings of a Man, whom you do not
• fee guilty of any Extravagance.
.
<
'
THERE is an elder Daughter of
the Family, a Widow, who marry'd
indifcrectly, and who, in Confequence
of the irreconcileable Temper of the
Father, will never be received again,
< or diſturb the Poffeffion which this
' unmarry'd one has of his Heart: He
doats on her, and fhe deferves it; he
would, I believe, be averfe to any im-
• mediate
،
<
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 153
<
،
mediate Propofal of Marriage, from
his mere Unwillingness to part with
her, but there is a Way by which you
may fucceed. In order to court the
Lady with Succefs, you muſt firſt
• court him; and, to court him with
Succeſs, you must attack him on his
weak Side, his Fondneſs for Philofo-
phy. Offer yourſelf, with your whole
Fortune in your Hand, and you will
• be turned out of Doors; but carry
him a petrify'd Cockle-fhell, or a
dry'd Toadstool, and you fhall be
received into his Arms, and he will
beſtow the Darling of his Heart upon
you, as the only Medal worthy to re-
ward fuch unequal'd Diſcoveries.'
C
C
"
MR Spenſe was indeed thoroughly ac-
quainted with the Family he talk'd of,
and the Advice he gave had all the Ap-
pearance of Reafon on it's Side. Whe-
ther he did not foreſee ſome farther Ef-
fect from it than can yet appear to the
Reader, or whether indeed he wished
the young Gentleman to fucceed in his
Addreffes to the Lady or not, are Se-
crets that may poffibly be diſcloſed in
the Sequel of the Hiftory. The Youth
determin'd to follow his Advice, but he
H 5
trem-
154 The ADVENTURES of
trembled at the Thought of appearing
before fuch a Maſter of a Science he had
never ftudy'd, in Quality of an Ad-
mirer of it. The Friend, who had ad-
vis'd him thus far, did not defert him
in this Neceffity; he engag'd himſelf to
furniſh him with a Subject, and put him
in the Way of knowing what to fay
about it; and even promiſed to ſet him
on the beſt Footing imaginable in the
Family, by making the Acquaintance
be of Mr Sedate's own feeking. To this
Purpoſe he told him, he would intro-
duce him on the next public Day, to a
Perfon in Office, under this Head of the
Philofophic Body; where that Gentleman
fometimes condefcended to vifit, and
where he would, if he mifs'd ſeeing him,
be accuftom'd, however, to Philofophic
Difcourfes, by hearing allthe eminent Men
of the Body delivering their Sentiments
with great Familiarity. The Youth pro-
feffed eternal Obligation to his Friend
and Patron, and they parted, for the
firſt Time, with knowing where they
were to meet again.
1
CHAP.
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 155
CH A P. VI.
Character of Dr Single Dofe. Short
Mention of Mrs Single Dofe, and the
Plan of their public Entertainments.
THE
HE Gentleman, whofe public Day
was to give our Hero an Oppor-
tunity of commencing Philofopher, and
meeting the Father of his Miftrefs by
Accident, was himſelf a Primi Subfellis
Philofophus. He had many Years en-
joy'd an Office in the learned Body we
have already had feveral Occafions of
mentioning, but with this great Advan-
tage over his Patron, that, while that
Gentleman's Finances paid the full Price
of his Honour, this Officer was paid for
making himſelf ridiculous. He was a
Phyſician as well as Philofopher: By
long Study and Experience had arriv'd
at a Perfection in the latter Science,
equal to that he had in the former; and
his utmoſt Modefty could not fupprefs
his Pride, in declaring, that, as he un-
ravell'd all the Intricacies of Philofophy
at one Examination, fo he cured all Dif-
eafes by a fingle Dofe of his Noftrums.
H 6
HE
956 The ADVENTURES of
12›
He had gone fo far at one time, as to
offer himſelf to Families by the Year as
Phyſician, and to engage to cure them
of all Diſeaſes one way or other, at a
Guinea a Head, or, as the Poet admi-
rably expreffes it,
At one Pound one per Head, per Ann.
ye Small
And great, the Doctor kills or cures
you all.
But whether the World thought this was
an Impofition, as a fingle Dofe might
be had for half that Money, and every
Perfon in a Family could not expect in
reafon to be fick every Year; or whe-
ther the Phyſicians, who faw the inevi-
table Ruin of their Profeffion by this
Scheme confpir'd against it, we know
not; but fo it was, that the ingenious
Gentleman never found Opportunities of
doing much good or harm on theſe
Terms.
THE Doctor, after fome other ill
Succeffes of a like Kind, determin'd to
fet out in a new Way of acquiring Bufi-
nefs. Poetry and Painting had long
been
*
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 157
been declared Sifter Sciences; Philofo-
phy and Phyſic he was perfectly con-
vinc'd were no lefs fo: To be eminent
in one, he concluded would prove him
not of the meanest Rank in the other.
His Office in the fupreme Court of
Philofophic Judicature gave him an
indifputable Claim to rank high on this
Subject: He took Care to inform the
World of his Importance, by publiſhing
his Titles at full length, diftinguiſhing
himſelf as Affociate to this Body that he
had never feen, Fellow of that Commu-
nity which no body elfe had ever heard
of, and Correfpondent of a certain very
venerable old Lady, to whom he had
written a Letter that fhe never anfwered.
His Fame was no fooner blazon'd
in this manner to the World, than he
eſtabliſh'd this public Day for the Re-
ception of his Friends. Cards were dif
pers'd to all parts of the Town, expref-
fing that Dr Single Dofe gave Tea
every Tueſday Afternoon at Five pre-
ciſely; and it being whiſper'd about at
the fame Time, that the feven Sages of
of Great Britain always met at that
Place and Hour, there feldom fail'd to
be rather more Company than there
2
were
158 The ADVENTURES of
were Chairs for in one Apartment; and
a Crowd of female Lifteners about the
Keyhole of the Door, that communi-
cated with an adjoining one; eſpecially
on thofe Nights, when a Hermaphro-
dite, or fome other Phænomenon which
concern'd the Sexes, was to be the Sub-
ject of Difquifition; which the Doctor's
Lady, a Perfonage whom, though we
have hitherto taken no Notice of, we
may poffibly have Occafion to mention
hereafter, never fail'd to give timely
Notice of about the Neighbourhood,
and among the Circle of her Acquain-
tance.
ON one of thefe Evenings it was,
that Mr Spenfe was to introduce his
young Friend to the Acquaintance of
Dr Single Dofe, and by his Means to
the whole learned World. As he was
to prefent him as a Lover of Natural
Knowledge, he took no less than four
Days to inftru&t him in the Terms and
Rudiments of the Science, and having
furnished him with a Specimen, which
was no other than a dry'd Whiting, that
had been part of the Ship's Stores, he
affur'd him of the Succefs of his Under-
taking.
CHA P.
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 159
CHAP. VII.
A Converfation at a Philofphical Club
interrupted by a very furprifing Incident.
A
VERY eminent and accompliſh'd
Clergyman, I remember, has told
me, that on his firft Introduction into a
Family of Confequence, on which he
had much Dependence, he was inform'd,
about two Hours before the Time of
praying to the Family, that this was to
be done Extempore, not according to the
Church Form: he beſtow'd, as he tells
the Story, all the intermediate Time in
preparing his Prayer; but, the Moment
the great Bell gave the Signal for his en-
tering the Chapel, every Idea he had be-
fore form'd, deferted him; his Thoughts
were as utterly unprepared, as if that
had been the firſt Moment of his having
Notice of his Buſineſs, and he was forc'd
to begin at random.
So far'd it with our young Philofo-
pher, at his firft Vifit to this public Re-
ceiver of the Wife. The four Days of
his Preparation had been fpent, to at
leaft as good Purpofe, as the two Hours
3
of
160
The ADVENTURES of
of the Reverend Gentleman juſt men-
tioned, and he had got together as many
Words as the other had Ideas: But no
fooner did the weighty Hoft take him
by the Hand, and welcome him to the
Regions of Wiſdom, than every Syl-
lable he had got by heart was oblite-
rated; and he, who cou'd before have.
roll'd glibly over his Tongue, the Tita-
noceratophyton, and Hypophyllo-cono-car-
podendron of Boerhaave; the Coriotrage-
matadendros of Plukenet; the Caraf
ceron and Galeobdolon of Rivinus; the
Clathroidaftrum of Micheli; the Achro-
chordodendros of Knaut; or the Antaftri-
formipolyplatycarpoides of Klein; the
Arbitochoutus of Vaillant ; and the Sta-
chifarpogophora of Breynins; now cou'd
not have told that Bellis was Latin for a
Daify, or Fungus for a Muſhroom, if
the Saving of his Soul, or what was
much more to him at prefent, the Gain-
ing of his Miſtreſs had depended upon
it. He found it wou'd be neceſſary for
him to ſay little; and venturing to tell
the Doctor, that, as this was the first
Night of his having the Honour of meet-
ing fuch Company, he fhou'd be a Hear-
er only, during the Courſe of the Even-
ing, the Maſter of the Ceremony re-
-
peated
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 161
peated the Refolution to the Company,
who, taking it as a tacit Encomium on
their own Qualifications, readily accept-
ed, the Excufe, and faid many civil
Things about the fair Prefage fuch Mo-
defty gave of rifing Merit.
MR Edwards was, on the Recom-
mendation of Mr Spence, who was a
Man of allow'd Judgment, now dub'd a
Philofopher; and was very regularly
and methodically introduc'd to every
Member of theCompany, in their ſeveral
Ranks and Orders, which (excepting for
the Deference paid to a Foreigner of Di-
ftinction in the firft Salute) was not accord-
ing to Title or Seniority, but in Confe-
quence of the Number of learned Perfor-
mances each had oblig'd the World with.
A's our Hero had before been
inform'd of this Right of Priority in
thefe Meetings, he was ftrangely fur-
pris'd, at being firſt introduc'd to a gay,
fmiling, bold-fac'd, powder'd-periwig'd
Fellow, who had hitherto been talking
of nothing but his Burgundy and his
Miftrefs; and not lefs fo, to find the
Lift clos'd with the Doctor himself, who,
tho' he had oblig'd the World ſo far,
many Years before, to engage
25,
for
162 The ADVENTURES of
for a Folio or two, had not thought it
convenient yet to be at the Pains of writ-
ing, or the Expence of printing them;
and who, tho' he had certainly had fome
Sort of Share in the Publication of more
Books than any one fince that Time; at
prefent valu'd himfelf principally on a
Folio Collection of Tobacco Papers,
which he confefs'd, as he took his new
Friend by the Hand, were not yet ready
for the Prefs, in the Form in which he
intended to favour the World with
them.
THE Company, for this Evening, con-
fifted of a Spanish Count, attended by
Madam Le Compteffe, and a led Captain,
whofe Mouth was drawn into a peculiar
Form, by the frequent Pronouncing of
three Words, Cet illuftre Chef, which
always made at least two Thirds of his
whole Converfation, tho' he never fail'd
to feize the Opportunity of a Ceffation
on other Parts, to defcribe the Mag-
nanimity or Conduct the Hardſhips or
Diftreffes, of his illuftre Companion:
Next to theſe fat the powder'd Doctor
already mention'd, who had oblig'd the
World with many Volumes of all
Sorts, on all Kinds of Subjects, and had
written
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 163
written juſt as well of any one, as of any
other of them. At the upper End of
the Room, food an empty Arm-chair
for the Father of our Hero's Miftrefs :
The reft was fill'd fomewhat indif-
criminately, with Fhilofophers, An-
tiquarians, Mathematicans, and Mecha-
nics. A Scotch Peafant produc'd a
New Orrery; a German Mechanic, a
Table Fountain contriv'd to play in a
Defert, to the great Entertainment, and
Bedabbling of every body prefent; and the
Doctor's Son and Heir, the Model of a
new invented Moufe-trap. The Audience
confifted of the Doctor's Taylor; an
Anabaptift Preacher; a converted Jew
who fold Spectacles; an Atheiſt and
two Roman Catholics; a blind Fidler,
who fully expected he should be reftor'd
to Sight by the Doctor's Noftrums; and
the Mafter and Miftrefs of a Famphlet-
fhop at Charing-Crofs, with whom his
Works, entire, were always to be met
with.
THE People who fpoke befide the
above-mention'd, were Mr Storm, the
Inventor of a new Religion; Mr Far-
thing, a Collector of a peculiar Species
of English Coins; Mr Sage, the Author
of
164
The ADVENTURES of
of a very egregious Hiftory of 'rinting,
in which, one of Swift's Prophecies is
given as a Specimen of the Letter of one
of our earlieſt Printers, and a Maker of
Bologna Saufages, who had difcover'd
the Longitude.
MR Farthing took the Advantage of the
firft Ceffation on the Part of the illuftri-
ous Spaniard, to declare to the Company,
that, after having been now eight Years
in fearch of a Maidenhead, after having
been promis'd one by Fifty of the com-
mon Dealers in thofe Commodities, after
having had fifty counterfeit ones brought
to him, all which he difcover'd to be
Cheats, the Inftant he got into the Le-
gends; in fhort, after having ten Times.
overpaid Mr C.--
ten times as
much as a true one wou'd have been
worth, for pretended ones; and after
having fought for one in vain, among
your pretended People of Honour; he
had at length met with a genuine one, in
the Poffeffion of a Cinder-fifter, upon one
of the Dung-hills behind St Giles's,
which he had taken Poffeffion of upon
the Spot, 'for One and Six-pence.
THE
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 165
THE Antiquarian was in Raptures,
and fome other of the Company cou'd not
forbear licking their Lips at the Relation;
half a dozen of them were gathering at
once about the happy Man, to be let in-
to more Particulars of the Story, when a
dreadful Thundering, from the Room a-
bove, at once terrify'd and aſtoniſh'd the
whole Affembly. Some imagin'd it the
Report of a Chymical Veffel, burſt in
one of the Doctor's Furnaces; others
took it for the Shock of a third Earth-
quake, the Noifes of the two former
having been evidently perceiv'd over-
head (a great Proof of the Propriety of
the Term by which they were exprefs'd;)
the Doctor turn'd pale as Death, and
plainly enough difcover'd, that he un-
derſtood it to be fomething more terrible
than either The Anabaptift declar'd
it was a Judgment for Mr Farthing's pro-
fane Speaking: And the Atheist was dif
cover'd, after fome Moments, lying at
his Length under the Table, and repeat-
ing the Apoftle's Creed. During this
Interval of Silence and Confufion, a Ser-
vant had enter'd the Room with Terror
in his Afpect; but, before he cou'd deli-
ver his Meffage, the Company were
thrown
166 The ADVENTURES of
thrown into a more violent Confterna-
tion than the former, by a Repetition of
the fame Sound, only more vehement
and longer continu'd.
We not doubt, gentle Reader, but
thou art eager to know what this tremen-
dous Noife was; but as we do not uſe to
make great Preparations for trivial
Events, nor call in God's or Devils to
our Affiſtance,
Nifi dignus Vindice nodus:
Thy Patience muſt be ſuſpended, till,
on fo important an Occafion as this, we
begin a new Chapter.
CHAP
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 167
CHA P. VIII.
An Explanation of the terrible Alarm
given in the last Chapter.
I
T was a Quarter after Eight, in the
Month of October, when the Com-
pany at Doctor Singledofe's Drum (who
had patiently enough gone without their
Tea, on being inform'd, that the Lady
of the Houſe had gone out upon a Viſit,
and had inadvertently lock'd up the
Cups) receiv'd the Alarm of the Sound,
which had broke in upon Mr Farthing's
important Relation, and fo utterly dif
concerted the Company at the End of
the laſt Chapter. The Doctor, on this
Repetition of it, had, however, greatly
calm'd every body's Terrors, by or-
dering the Servant, who, all this while,
ftood trembling before them, to tell the
Gentleman above, that he was engag'd
in fuch a Manner with his Friends, on a
very ferious Subject, that he cou'd not
poffibly come up juft that Minute, but
wou'd wait on him preſently,
THE Company had ſcarce Time to
congratulate themſelves on the Diſco-
very,
168
The ADVENTURES of
very, that this Noife was fo vaftly infe-
rior to an Earthquake in it's Violence.
and Effects, when they had fufficient
Reaſon to find that Diſcovery was hard-
ly a true one. The Door of the upper
Apartment clap'd to with a Violence,
that ſhook the whole Fabric; the Stairs
from their Foundations fhook beneath
the Rattling of hoftile Feet, that pour'd
with fcarce lefs Rage or Rapidity along
them, than the broken Waves over the
Cataracts of the Nile; the Door of the
Parlour, in which they were affembled,
burſt open, and in the Middle of the
Company, before it was poffible to con-
ceive any body had enter'd the Room,
appear'd the horrific Front of Mrs Single
Dofe.
C
WHAT, you extravagant, ye-ye-ye-
. ye idle Fool, becauſe I wont let you
⚫ have Tea for your Goffips, do you in-
tend to keep e'm here all Night to
• ruin me with Fire and Candle? Ye
may be afham'd of yourfelves, ye
pitiful beggerly Crew as ye, are be-
• cauſe you fee a Man is foft and fooliſh,
to eat and drink him out of Houſe
and Home in this Manner, What
good did any of 'em do you? I'd be
<
<
glad
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 169
6
“
C
C
'
'
•
.
glad to know, ye poor ſpirited-Fool,
that you dare not tell 'em of it. I
know well enough, you make all their
Books, and their Nonfenfe for 'em,
and they wou'd never get a Half-pen-
ny, if it were not for your Brains ;
but what did they ever do for you, I
afk you that? Did any of 'em ever
take a fingle Dofe of your Phyfic; or,
if they did, I'll be hang'd, if they
ever paid for it. Go your Ways, for
a great Effex Calf, as you always call
yourfelf; you don't call yourſelf out
of your Name, when you ſay ſo, take
my Word for it.
SHE was proceeding in this Torrent of
Eloquence, but a Slap on the Forehead,
which ſhe had given the peaceful Doctor
at the End of the laft Sentence (whether
it were meant as a Chaſtiſement, or as a
Piece of contemptuous Dalliance, we will
not prefume to fay) fell'd him as fud-
denly, as ever did the Blow of a Butcher's
Ax a more full grown Creature of the
fame Species, to the Ground. On this,
the Torrent of her Revilings turn'd
folely on the Company: Now' exclaims.
fhe, ye pitiful Fellows what will you
all of you do for me and my Children,
I
•
C
•
if
170
The ADVENTURES of
if my poor Huſband is got kill'd
among you: An honeſt Pains-taking
Man as any in the Parish, if it were
• not for fuch Vermin, as you are, eat-
⚫ing him up.'
THE Company were oblig'd to in-
terfere at this Period, to tell the Lady,
that the Violence of her Action had
thrown a Japan Skreen into the Fire,
which it was impoffible for them to get
out of the Flames till fhe mov'd. The
poor Doctor, who, from the Confolation
of the relenting Temper his Wife expreſs'd
in the laft Sentence, had taken hope of
reconciling all again, open'd his Eyes:
But the Word Japan was no fooner pro-
nounc'd, whether any fuch Word had
any Connexion with the Title of the
Book the Doctor was to have publiſh'd,
or by whatever other Combination of
Ideas it brought the Book into the He-
roine's Mind, I know not, but the in-
ſtantly flew out upon the Name: The
Honeſty of her reviving Hufband va-
niſh'd before it; and, Ay, fays fhe,
Japan indeed, I'll japan ye, you fcurvy
Fellow; I don't fuppofe there's one of
thefe Gentlemen here, but what you
have promis'd the Book to, tho' you
• know
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 171
<
know well enough, you never de-
fign'd to publiſh it: Ay, ay, if you
ufe your Friends, that fupport you,
• and recommend you, and put Bread
into your Mouth in this Manner, I
• don't wonder your poor Wife and Chil-
•dren are treated no better by you.'
MATTERS were now growing to a
more terrible Height than ever, the He-
roine having feiz'd upon the looſe Leg
of a Chair, to execute Vengeance on the
proftrate Doctor; but Mr Spence inter-
pos'd, and the whole Company pleading
in favour of the vanquish'd, and pro-
mifing not to give her Provocation again
by repeating their Vifits, fhe at once
laid down her Weapon and her Anger;
and, as they walk'd out of the Door, led
the peaceful Doctor up Stairs under her
Arm, with great conjugal Affection.
THERE are very few Incidents, be
they as diſagreeable as they will to the
Parties more immediately concern'd, that
are not attended with favourable Confe-
quences to fome body. The Hero of our
Story, who was at this Time quite un-
prepar'd to ſpeak of his dry'd Whiting,
found this an excellent Excufe for his
I 2
not
172
The ADVENTURES of
not fo much as producing it: The Doc-
tor unwilling to lofe the Information hist
Vifiter came, as he imagin'd, fraught with,
whiſper'd him, juft before they parted,
that it wou'd be a very acceptable Thing
to the whole Body, if he wou'd produce
his Specimen, and his Obfervations on
it, at their next full Meeting, which was
to be two Days after: He parted with a
Promife of doing fo, and by this Means,
obtain'd that Period of Time for the far-
ther Improvement in his Studies. As we
fhall not chufe to diſturb him at them,
we ſhall make that Blank in our Hiſtory
a Separation of this Part of it into two
Books, tho' the Story be continu’d.
←
THE
[ 173 ]
THE
ADVENTURES
OF
Mr George Edwards,
A CREOLE.
BOOK the Fourth.
In which he does not get a bit nearer
his Miſtreſs, than where we just
now left him.
CHA P. I.
A Meeting of a Philofophic Body, and the
Entertainment afforded by the Members.
T
HE auguft Body was af-
fembled: The Clock had
ftruck Five; the Mace was
laid upon the Table, and the
Officers were feated in their
reſpective Places, when our Hero was
introduc'd to the Community, as a Per-
fon who had a Curiofity to lay before
them, and who wou'd accompany his
fhewing
I 3
174 The ADVENTURES of
ſhewing the Specimen, with fome Rea-
fonings upon it.
His Terrors made him requeſt, that
his Share of the Entertainment might
be the laſt produc'd; and, as this was
readily complied with, he had leiſure to
compofe his Spirits before he was called
upon, at the fame Time that he was let
into the Importance and Reaſonableneſs
of the Difquifitions he was admitted to,
by the following Particulars, which were
ſerved up in Order.
A MELON was firft fhewn, remark-
able for it's Size, it's Weight being no
leſs than fixty-two Pounds, and it's Sur-
face, notwithſtanding this, wholly like
that of other Melons. Every Member
crowded, to have it to fay afterwards,
that he had touch'd fo immenfe a Curio-
fity; and the Gardener, who had brought
it, after it had paffed the critical Exami-
nation of all prefent, was diſmiſs'd
with the Thanks of the Body, and a
Reward, and not without the private
Admonitions of the Door - keeper, to
have a Picture of it drawn by the in-
genious Mr Hogarth, and to fhew it, as
People do the Panopticon and Coloffus,
approved by the Royal Society.
A VERY
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 175
A VERY grave and learned Member
of the Body next produc'd an Account
of a Lady, who having laid her Hand,
in the Dark, upon fomething which fhe
took to be a Rat, mark'd the Child,
with which he was then big, with a
Robin-red-breaſt.
IT appear'd, indeed, the next Morn-
ing, that it was a Robin, that the Lady
had touch'd; and we are inform'd,
two of the Gentlemen who were prefent,
are, at this Time, about to engage in a
Literary Difpute, which will probably
be extended to fome Volumes, whether
it ought to have been the Thing really
touch'd, or the Thing fuppos'd to have
been touch'd, that the Child ſhou'd
have borne the Impreffion of: In theſe cu-
rious Difquifitions, we are told, the Seat
of the Soul, the Means of the Commu-
nication of it with the Body, and the
Effects of Imagination in wounding,
tearing, and annihilating corporeal Ob-
jects, will be very fully treated of.
THE third Article confifted of a Let-
ter from a learned German, who, finding
that the Literati of England were at this
I 4
Time
176 The ADVENTURES of
Time Petrifaction-mad; and having
heard that they had already met with pe-
trify'd Hams, petrify'd Legs of Veal,
petrify'd Eggs, and petrify'd Sturgeon;
and thinking that nothing was wanting
but the proper Means of dreffing thefe
feveral Bodies, in order to afford a truly
Philofophic Entertainment, fent them
Word, that he had fent over, by
the good Ship Heltor, fome petrify'd
Flames of Fire. He added, that he had
been oblig❜d to pay a confiderable Infu-
rance againſt their burning out the Bot-
tom of the Box in which they were fent,
and, by that Means, firing the Ship;
which, as well as the Charge of a Per-
fon employ'd to watch them, to prevent
fuch Accidents, he doubted not, the
- Body wou'd repay with Pleaſure, in
Confideration of fo curious and unheard
of a Foffil. The Name of this curious
Commentator was John George Frederic
William Charles Erneft Auguſtus Bruck-
man; this had been confufedly read a-
mong the Doctiffimus's and Celeberrimus's,
with which it ftood intermingled at the
Top of the Letter; but the Name of
the Place of his Refidence, which was
Wolfenbottle, ftanding at the Bottom,
where we ufually put our Names, with
the
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 177
the Word Scribebam before it; the very
accurate and intelligent Doctor Single
Doſe read it in fuch a Manner, that the
Thanks of the Body were directed to
be return❜d to the very learned and inge-
nious Doctor Scribonius Wolfenbottle, for
this curious and valuable Prefent, when-
ever it fhou'd be receiv'd.
AFTER this, was produc'd an Ac-
count of a Petropolitan Nobleman, whom
Nature had intended for a Man of
Weight; but, who not chufing to be
encumber'd with more Body than his fa-
vourite Hunter cou'd conveniently carry,
had Inciſions annually made in his Arms,
Legs, Back, Sides, and Belly, and the
Fat carefully fcoop'd out from every
Part of his Body.
THE laſt Diſh, furnifh'd independent-
ly of our Hero, was a Letter from a
young Lady on her Travels, giving an
Account of the bury'd City of Hercula-
neum; this laugh'd at all the former pom-
pous Stories from the fame Place, and
deſtroy'd the Credit of the Pictures fo
much boaſted of; but, in return, it men-
tion'd feveral Particulars of the utmoſt
Confequence; fuch as Bruffels Lace of an
I 5
exquifite
178 The ADVENTURES of
exquifite Pattern, made of the Afbeftus
Stone, and therefore unhurt by the Fire
and Brimftone; a Leg of Mutton, that
had evidently been raw, when the De-
ſtruction happen'd, but was compleatly
well drefs'd by the Subterranean Fires;
and, left Bread fhou'd be wanting to eat
with it, a petrify'd Quartern-löaf, with
the Baker's Name upon it.
Ir appear'd afterwards, that the Firſt
of the curious Subjects, produc'd this
Evening, before this learned Body, was
a Pumpkin, which the artful Gardener
had ſcratch'd the Coat of, while young;
That, as to the Second, it was not a
Bird, called a Robin-red-breaſt, but the
Shoulder of one Robin, a Servant in the
Family, that the Lady had lean'd upon;
that the main Buſineſs of the learned
German was to get an English Watch;
which on his having given fome flight
Hint, that it would be agreeable to
him, was fent by the firft Ship; and
that, when his petrify'd Flames of Fire
arriv'd, they were no more than two
Toad-ftools that had grown in an old
Chimney; and that the two laſt Ar-
ticles were no other than Banters from
a very fevere Satyrift, who had before
laugh'd
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 179
laugh'd at the Body for it's Credulity,
and who had ventur'd Wagers among
his Companions, that they were not yet
cur'd, but that theſe Accounts wou'd be
well receiv'd among them. Our Hero's
Communication came next in Order, but,
that being by no Means of a Piece with
thefe ideal Diſcoveries, we fhall reſerve
it for the Subject of another Chapter.
I 6
CHAP.
180
The ADVENTURES of
{
CHA P. II.
An Ichthyological Differtation upon a
dry'd Whiting.
TH
HE Subjects mention'd in the
former Chapter, Accounts of every
one of which may be found in the Mi-
nutes of the Body whofe Diſcoveries we
are celebrating, and the Relations of
which, at large, we flatter ourſelves
will hereafter appear in their Publica-
tions, having been difcuffed in this am-
ple and entertaining Manner; Mr George
Edwards was handed up to the Table in
form: He there produced the Curioſity
every body was fo big with the Expec-
tation of feeing; and with it deliver'd a
Paper to one of the Secretaries, who
read it aloud in the following Words:
THE Animal, which I have the Ho-
nour to lay before this learned and inge-
nious Body, is a Fiſh.
MAN has been defin'd to be, Animal
bipes et implume, an Animal with two
Feet, and without Feathers. A Fiſh,
on the contrary, is faid to be, Animal
Apodum
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 181
Apodum pinnis præditum, an Animal
without any Feet at all, and furniſhed
with Fins. Such is the received Defini-
tion of this Clafs of Animals; but, to
me, this appears fhorter than it ought
to be, and, with the Permiffion of this
honourable Body, I would take the Li-
berty of perfecting it in the following
Manner :
Pifcis eft animal apodum, pinnis femper
præditum; vel bronchiis vel pulmonibus
refpirans, plerumque in aqua habitans,
ibique vel folis pinnis vel flexuofo corporis
impulfu fimul natans, interdum vero in ter-
ram fponte egrediens, et quandoque in aere
fupra aquam ope pinnarum pectoralium
volans. Whoever will be pleafed to
confider the Treatife of a very learned
Author, De Pifcibus in ficco viventibus,
and at the fame Time will obferve, that
this Definition of mine excludes Crabs,
Lobſters, and Prawns, together with all
Kinds of Shell-fifh, while it compre-
hends Eels, Whales, Sea-cows, and
Flying-Fiſh, will, I prefume, allow me
the Juftice of it.
HAVING thus eftabliſhed the Cha-
racters of Fiſh in general, we are to con-
fider them, as divided by Nature into
five
2651 W
182 The ADVENTURES of
five Claffes. Thefe I fhall beg Leave
to expreſs, by Terms borrowed from
the Greek, calling them Malocopterygii,
Acanthopterygii, Branchioftegi, Chondrop-
terygii, and Plagiuri, expreffing the dif-
ferent Nature of their Fins, the Struc-
ture of the Parts about their Gills, and
the horizontal or perpendicular Situa-
tion of their Tails.
IT will appear, Gentlemen, that the
Subject before us is one of the firſt Claſs
of Fiſhes, the Malacopterygii, which are
diftinguiſhed from all the others, by
their having the Rays of their Fins
bony, but not pungent, quarum radii
offei quidem funt, fed nullo modo pun-
gentes.
THE Head, Gentlemen, you will
be pleaſed to obferve, is deprefs'd, and
it has feven Bones in the Membrane, co-
vering the Gills; it will therefore appear
very plainly to you, that it is a Gadus,
the generical Characters of that Genus
being, that the Head is either catheto-
plateous, or plagioplateous; that the
Branchioftege Membrane has feven Bones
of a cylindric Figure in it, and that
there
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 183
there are either two or three Fins on the
Back.
FROM it's Genus, I fhall beg Leave
to deſcend to it's ſpecific Names. Bel-
lonius has call'd it, Merlangus, a Name
which evidently confounds it with ano-
ther Fiſh. Mr Ray, Afellus, a Deno-
mination which puts one in Mind of a
Wood-loufe. Aldrovand calls it, Afellus
minor; and Rondeletius, Secunda Afello-
rum Species; which Names alfo, in my
Opinion, convey no better Idea than that
of a little Wood-loufe, or a Wood-loufe
different from fome one that the Author
had defcribed before. If I may take the
Liberty of giving it a Name that may live
in your Collections, I fhall call it, Ga-
dus dorfo tripterygio, ore imberbi, corpore
albo, maxilla fuperiore longiore. The
Danes, I find, call it Koller; the Ger-
mans, Ein Moll; and the Swedes, Il-
wiftling.
FROM it's Names, I fhall take the
Liberty of proceeding to point out the
moft fingular and remarkable Circum-
ftances of it's Form. It's Head, Gen-
tlemen, you may perceive, is of an ir-
regular
184
The ADVENTURES of
regular Figure; it's Back is convex, and
it's A-e is remarkably near it's Head.
It's Colour is white, except on the Back,
where it is grey, and the Scales are very
fmall and round: It's Noftrils are large,
and ſtand in the Midway between the
Eyes and the Extremity of the Snout.
IT has feveral Rows of Teeth in the
upper Jaw, but only one Row in the
lower, and the Teeth in this are une-
qual: In the anterior Part of the Palate
it has a bony Subftance, covered with
Teeth, and forming the two Sides of a
Triangle; and it has alfo two roundiſh
and two oblong Bones in the Fauces,- be-
fet with Teeth in the fame Manner.
What an amazing Apparatus for tear-
ing, grinding, and lacerating it's Food!
IT's Linea lateralis, Gentlemen, you
may diſtinguiſh, is of a blackiſh Co-
lour, and crooked; and there is a black
Spot near the Root of each of the pec-
toral Fins.
THOSE Fins themſelves have twenty-
one Rays in each, and the Middle one is
longeft and bifurcated; the ventral Fins
are
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 185
are placed more anteriorly than the Pec-
toral ones: They have fix Ribs in each,
and the ſecond is the longeſt of theſe.
Of the three Fins on the Back, the
firft is triangular, and has twenty-one
Rays in each; there are two Pinnæ ani,
I beg Leave to put it in Latin, Gentle-
men, to fave a coarfe Word, which I
have been oblig'd to uſe once already;
and, finally, the Vertebre are in Number
forty and four.
THE Viscera I had preferved, Gen-
tlemen, in a Bottle of Rum, for your
Inſpection; but unfortunately a debauch-
ed Sailor in the Voyage drank up all the
Spirit, and afterwards threw away the
Bottle to prevent Difcovery. According
to the Notes which I took upon the
Spot, however, I find that the Liver
was white, and divided into two Lobes :
The Spleen was triangular, and fituated
under the Stomach; the Ovaries, for it
was a Female; were oblong, and full of
yellow Ova; the Air-bladder was ob-
long, fimple, glutinous, and affixed to
the Spine; the pneumatic Duct, by
which the Air is carry'd to this Veficle,
had
186 The ADVENTURES of
had it's Infertion in the upper Part of it,
and it's Origination in the fophagus.
The Heart was obtufely quadrilateral,
and the Stomach oblong, thick, reflex
in it's lower Part, and coronated with a
Number of Cæca about the Pylorus.
A PERFECT Silence had been obferv'd,
during the Reading this truly curious
Paper: At the End of it, the Youth
received the general Applaufe of the
Body; he was immediately propoſed for
a Member, and, what was much more
to his Purpoſe, had the Honour of the
particular Thanks of the Father of his
Miſtreſs, and was invited to his Houſe.
THE Addrefs with which the young
Author had concealed the English
Name of his Fish, while he told the
Danish, German, and Swedish, as well as
the learned ones, left his Audience no
Sufpicion of it's being a Whiting;
and their utter Unacquaintance with
the Authors who treat on theſe Sub-
jects, gave them no Idea that one Pe-
trus Artedus had talked much to the
fame Purpoſe. They broke up, as
thoroughly fatisfy'd with this laft Part
of
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 187
of their Entertainment as with any of
the former; they gave Orders for the
Paper to be printed, and begged the
Proprietor of the curious Specimen to
let their Engraver wait on him, to
take a Drawing of it, that a Copper-
plate Figure might be exhibited of fo
curious a Fiſh in their Works.
CHAP.
188 The ADVENTURES of
1
CHA P. III.
The Converfation at Dr Single Dofe's re-
newed. Character and History of Mr
Storm.
TH
HE Company began, after this,
to file off by Degrees: But Dr
Single Dofe, who was now out of Office
for the Night, made up to as many of
his late Company as were prefent, which
was very nearly all of them; and with
great Earneftneſs kept them together to
hear his Apology. The good Doctor
was entering on a ſtudy'd Harangue, in
which he would have treated largely of
the Xantippes of the feveral Ages, of
the Government of Hufbands, and of
the Virtues of Patience and Refigna-
tion, but he was cut fhort in it by the
Anabaptist, who afferted, that, whatever
might be the Source of the Doctor's
uſual domeftic Broils, this late one had
been an evident Judgment on them, for
liftening to the obfcene Difcourfe of that
Deluder of Virgins, Mr Farthing. De-
• luder of a Fiddleftick's End,' replied
the Antiquarian, I was not talking of
the Things thou thinkeft about. I
• muſt
•
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 189
• muſt inform thee, that there are a Spe-
⚫cies of Coins call'd Traders, a Kind
of Half-pence, that were in Ufe an
6
C
(
.
،
Age or two ago, and which every
• Tradefman had Permiffion to coin for
himſelf, to be of ufe in Change, only
marking them with his Name, and
that of the Place he lived in, as a
• Promiſe to take them again as Money
• on Demand. I have with long Ap-
plication, you are to know, collected
Traders of all the principal Places in
Berkshire, but, till a Week ago, I
. never had one of the Town of Mai-
denhead in that County, when I pur-
chas'd this, as I told you, at that
time.' So faying, he produced, to
the great Admiration and Improvement
of all prefent, the Coin purchaſed of the
Cinder Girl before-mentioned.
.
THE Preacher was abafh'd; the
Company enjoy'd the Jeft in Silence,
except Mr Storm, who, after very deli-
berately ſcratching his Head, and then
drawing his Fingers thro' his lank
Locks, in form of a four-tooth'd Comb,
declared, He never knew a Perfon,
whofe Zeal did not, one time or other
in his Life, make a Fool of him.
Mr
190 The ADVENTURES of
Mr Storm thought he had faid enough
for one Evening, and, not being of a
Difpofition to throw away any thing, he
retired without Ceremony, to make
himſelf a Reputation by his next good
Speech, in fome new Company.
THE Preacher looked a little foolish
after the Defeat, but the Atheiſt imme-
diately gave him his Revenge of the
Victor, by relating to the Company the
following Hiſtory of his Hate to the
Clergy.
• MR Storm, you are to know,
fays he, is a Man of a moderate For-
tune in the Country; he has inherited.
from Nature an excellent Conftitution,
and a very uncommon Share of Under-
ftanding; but ſome cruel Phyllis, in his
younger Days, jilted him out of the
Love of the whole Sex, and indeed of
the whole World: He retir'd immedi-
ately on this from London to his Eſtate,
where he devoted himſelf to Reading,
and calculated his whole Income and
his Expences in fuch a Manner, as not
to fave a Farthing a Year, nor to run
as much behind-hand.
HE
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 191
HE had liv'd in this Manner half a
Year, when the Parfon of the Pariſh
made him a Vifit to aſk for his Tythes:
He was ftruck dumb with the unexpect-
ed Demand; he found it larger than he
could have imagin'd, even after he had
recollected that it muſt be a Due: He
offer'd a Compromife with the Church-
man, but it was refus'd: A Law-fuit
was commenc'd, and after various Hear-
ings, it was given wholly in favour of
the Rector.
MR Storm could not but fubmit to
the Sentence, but he would by no Means
acquiefce in it: He declar'd open War
againſt the Parfon, and the whole
Church that he belonged to; and fet up,
in mere Revenge, a new Religion of his
own.
EVERY Tree in the Pariſh, on the
next Saturday, had a written Invitation
ſtuck upon it, to every Inhabitant to
come to the New Chapel, commonly
call'd the Hall-houſe, and hear a Ser-
mon preach'd by Mr Storm. The No-
velty carry'd two Thirds of the Pariſh
to him, and the Clergyman felt the
Preference
192
The ADVENTURES of
Preference given to his Antagoniſt very
feverely. The Bilis of Invitation were
ftuck up again for the next Sunday, but
whether it was that the Charm of No,
velty was now wanting, whether the
former Difcourfe had not pleas'd them,
or whether the Antagoniſt had ufed any
unfair Method with his Parishioners, had
thundered in their trembling Ears Dam-
nation, or whatever might be the Cauſe,
too fure it is, that the New Preacher had
not a ſingle Hearer.
THE Triumphs of the Prieft, on
this, were too great to be borne: The
New Preacher determin'd on finding
fome Expedient to call back his Flock,
which had deferted him, and at length
hit on the very lucky one, of adding to
his next Bills, that whoever came to
Mr Storm's Chapel, for the future, were
defired to ſtay and dine there on Beef
and Pudding. The Stratagem did not
fail of Succefs, whom not the Word of
the Lord could get together; the
Loaves and the Fishes fummoned with
irrefiftible Power; the very third Share
of the Company that had fallen to the
the Church in the former Divifion,
now forfook it; every Man, Woman,
and
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 193
5.
and Child, went regularly to Mr Storm's
Chapel, and he had the Triumph t☛
know, that his Antagonist was preach-
ing all the while to the Pews and
Benches.
THIS perfect Victory on Mr Storm's
Side continued fix Months, and wou'd
undoubtedly have laſted till this time,
had not the New Preacher now flatter'd
himſelf, that he had thoroughly con-
verted the Hearts and Souls of his
Hearers to his Perfuafion, and ventured
to try whether he could not bring them
together by the mere Force of his Doc-
trine, without the Allurement of a Din-
ner. He told them from the Pulpit
his Refolution of continuing to feed their
Souls with his Admonitions; but that,
as to bodily Food, they must get it as
they uſed to do. On the next Sunday
he mounted the Roftrum as ufual, at
the appointed Hour; but, alas! there
had been a Week to confider upon it,
and the Confequence of this was an uni-
verfal Refolution in favour of the old
Religion; the Chapel was as empty as
the Church had of late been, and the
Parfon triumphed, in his Turn, over his
thoroughly routed Antagonist. From
K
this
194
The ADVENTURES of
this time Matters have gone on there in
their old Channel' again; the Boards
that made the Seats, now ferve to con-
tain the Squire's Hogs; the Treffels on
which they were laid, have found their
Way under the Waſhing-tubs and Beer-
barrels again; the Pulpit is reconverted
into it's original State of a Writing-
defk; and the Hall ferves, inſtead of
Blafphemy and Nonfenfe, to hear, after
Dinner, every Day of the Villany of
Parfons, and the Miferies of a Nation
that is Church-ridden.
CHAP.
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 195
CHA P. IV.
An odd Introduction of a very fingular
T
Character.
HE Contempt in which our Hero
held the Father of his Miſtreſs,
the whole Philofophic Body under his
Direction, and even Philofophy itſelf,
could be equall'd by nothing but the
Adoration in which that Body held him.
A Motive very different from Philofo-
phy had, however, carried him among
them; that Motive fubfifted; and he
did not find the Charms of the Daugh-
ter at all impair'd, by what he now faw
of the Father. He determin'd to make
the utmoſt of his prefent Succeſs before
a Difcovery (which indeed he had no
Reafon in the World to dread) ſhould
rob him of his Merit; and had refolved
on viſiting in the Family the next
Morning.
ON his Arrival at Home from this
Meeting of the Philofophic Body, he
found on his Table the following Laco-
nic Meffage, written on a very curious
French Card.
K 2
MRS
196
The ADVENTURES of
• MRS Spadille has a polite Rout To-
night; if you'll come, you'll meet with
fomebody that will be very glad to fee
you. You are known, and will need no
formal Introduction."
IT was now but about Eight; Mrs
Spadille's was eafily found, and our He-
ro, though he was in no great Humour
for any new Engagement, rather than
refuſe an abſolute Challenge, walked in.
He found about twenty Ladies, and half
as many Men there: They were juſt ſat
down to Tea, and he took his Place
among them. Every body was com-
plaiſant to him, particularly as they faw
him a Stranger; he joined in the Con-
verſation on common Topics, and had
at length got into a private Party of
four, who were talking over the neweſt
Scandal of the Town: He found himfelf
in very agreeable Company, but he could
not difcern in any body's Face any pe-
culiar-Buſineſs with him.
He was ruminating on the Meaning
of this whimsical Adventure, when a
very agreeable Voice was heard, diſplay-
ing all it's Excellencies under the Ad-
vantage
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 19ing
vantage of one of Palma's neweſt
Songs, as the Lady to whom it belong'd
was tripping up Stairs. The Door, in
an Inftant, was thrown open with a
jaunty Violence, and the Lady who had
been heard, was now feen tripping with
a confummately agreeable Negligence
into the Room.
MRS Spadille was, at this time,
making the Tea at fuch a Diſtance from
the Door, that nothing less than a Fling
that almoft took it from the Hinges, could
have forced it to her: The Extremity
of the Lock, however, at this Inftant,
just reach'd the Edge of the Table that
was before her, and tipp'd it over. In
an Inftant a Scene of Confufion aroſe,
fcarce to be defcribed by Words; the
whole Equipage was fcatter'd over dif-
ferent Parts of the Floor; the Saucers
fplit; the Cups, as many of them as
were whole, were feen rolling about;
the Tea, half mingled with the Cream,
form'd a party-colour'd Deluge in one
Part of the Floor; along another ran
the Water ſending up it's curling
Clouds of Smoke; and between them a
Stream of liquid Fire from the Lamp,
fpreading like one of the Rivers of the
K 3
infernal
198 The ADVENTURES of
infernal Regions, and fending up a blue
Flame all the way that it ran: In one
Place you might fee a Beau aiming a
whiffling Puff at the Flame to extinguish
it; in another, a Lady treading it out,
and fetting fire to the Fringe of her un-
der Petticoat; and, in a third, an un-
lucky Fellow, who had been too near
the Fall of the boiling Cataract, making
Faces, and examining his fcalded Shins:
But infinitely the greateſt Sight of Hor-
ror was afforded by Mrs Spadille herſelf,
who being dreffed in a Chints Sack,
had first received the flaming Ruins of
the Lamp on her Lap, whence fhe had
not thrown it time enough to prevent
it's ſetting her on fire; fhe was now
blazing to the very Shoulders, and a
Gentleman who before fat next our He-
ro, was employ'd in extinguiſhing the
Fire, by covering it with his unbutton'd
Waiſtcoat.
THE Lady who had occafion'd all the
Miſchief, walk'd very deliberately up to
the vacant Seat at our Hero's Elbow,
threw herſelf into it, and, lolling back
with her Arms acrofs, entertained her-
ſelf with whiſtling the Black Joke. Mr
Edwards could not but exclaim to her,
• Good
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 199
• Good Heaven, Madam, how uncon-
• cern'd you fit all this while!' Aye,' re
plies fhe, raifing her Elbows, half
ſtretching herſelf, and gaping as fhe
fpoke,
Like Helen in the Night, when Troy
• was fack'd,
• Spectatress of the Mischief he had
• made.'
<
،
6
Our Hero's Admiration was fcarce at
it's Height on this romantic Occafion,
when the Lady, with an utter Uncons
cern as to every thing about her, turn'd
the fineſt Pair of Eyes in the World di-
rectly upon him, and faid with a Smile.
of affected Indifference, I fancy you
was beginning to wonder, by this
time, how you came here.'
I am
very glad,' replied he eagerly, to
find any body that is able to inform
• me.' •
fays the Lady,
with a Look of infinite Sagacity, I
have done all that Mifchief, to give
the People fomething elfe to do than
to obferve us: I take you to be a gay,
frolic, jovial Fellow, and I have a
mind to be acquainted with you.' The
Lady, having explained herſelf thus far,
K 4
.
Hufh
was
200
The ADVENTURES of
2
was at Leiſure to make her Apologies
to the Company. She walk'd up first
to Mrs Spadille, begged her Pardon for
the Miſchief fhe had occafion'd, and in-
fifted on her Permiffion to replace every
thing ſhe had deſtroyed; then compre-
hending the Company in one circular
Curt'fy, fhe begged Pardon of them all
for the Confufion her ftrange Inadver-
tence had thrown them into, and return-
ing to her Place, under Pretence of a
particular Excufe to Mr Edwards to
whom her Back had been turned du-
ring the general Humiliation, ſhe bid
him play two Rubbers at Whift, and
then come Home and fup with her.
OUR Hero was too heartily in Love
with his new Flame, Mifs Sedate, to
have eaſily fallen into a fecond Affair
of the fame Kind; but there was fome-
thing fo irreſiſtibly commanding in the
Manner of this Lady, that he found it
impoffible not to obey, nay, not to
obey with Rapture. Prudence alfo dic-
tated one Confideration to him on this
Occafion, which, tho' it may not plead
very greatly in his Favour with the
Ladies, certainly will be allowed it's
Weight with the People of Reaſon of
the
Mr George Edwards, a Creole.
201
the other Sex, or even of that Sex, after a
certain intereſted Age. He look'd upon
his late Engagement as one that wou'd
be attended with almoft infinite Difficul-
ties, and which, tho' he cou'd be fuc-
ceſsful againſt them all, yet muſt necef-
farily take a great deal of Time to bring
to a happy Conclufion; in the mean
Time here was a ready Indiana, (take
care, gentle Reader, that there is not
more Juftice in this Expreffion than
thou art at prefent aware of) who
wou'd footh the Pangs of Delay and of
his Impatience on the other's Part; and
whom it would be eafy for him, at any
time, from fome fuch Attack upon ano-
ther, as ſhe had now made upon him-
felf, to take Occafion to quarrel with,
and be rid of, without any Blame on his
own Part.
IF People always knew the Rank in
which they ftood in one another's
Thoughts, it wou'd prevent a vaſt deal.
of that Miſchief that happens from their
being too well acquainted, and thinking
too favourably of one another: Cou'd
this Woman of Pleafure and Experience
have imagin'd it poffible, that he was
intended to be the Tool, the Dupe, of a.
K 5
raw,
202 The ADVENTURES of
raw, Weft-Indian Boy, the Wanton
for his Leifure, to toy and wafte an
Hour of idle Time with, without pof-
feffing any the leaft Share of his Heart,
or even of his good Opinion, in what
extreme Contempt would fhe have held
herſelf, him, and all the World? This
was a Secret that dwelt, however, in his
Breaſt alone, and indeed was not of quite
that Duration there, that his fixed Sen-
timents on the Subject, at this time,
feemed to prefage.
THE appointed Period arrived; the
Games were over, and the Lady took her
Leave with little Ceremony: The Lover
was out of the Party, and waited on
her to her Chair: She flipp'd a Pocket-
book into his Hand, in the firft Leaf of
which was her Direction, and bidding
him not follow her fo immediately as to
give Sufpicion, funk into her Chair,
and bad the Slaves go Home. Mr Ed-
wards returned to the Party, eager to
know fomething of his new Acquain-
tance; but the utmoft he cou'd learn
from the Terms mad Creature, firange
Devil of a Woman, and the like, that
pafs'd among the Company, was, that
there was nothing new in her Behaviour
that
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 203
}
that Evening, but that he fhould find
her juft the fame gay, galloping Mif
trefs to the End of the Chapter.
THAT fhe was not a common Strum-
pet, was evident, from the Company he
met her in: That ſhe was not under the
Protection of any particular Perſon, was
as-evident, from her engaging him to fup
at her Lodgings; and yet that there
could be any Difficulty in fleeping there,
feem'd as abfurd to imagine from her
whole Deportment, and from the Na-
ture of their Acquaintance. That they
met in half an Hour is certain; and
that their Meeting was not without it's
Confequences, is as fure; but, eager as
the Reader is to know what they were,
he muſt have Patience to the next
Chapter.
K 6
CHAP
204
The ADVENTURES of
CHAP. V.
A Vifit from Mr Edwards to Mifs
Oddly, from which the Reader will
form fome odd Prefages.
TE
EN-THOUSAND ftrange
Conjectures did Mr Edwards frame
in his Mind, as he went to the appoint-
ed Rendezvous; and as many Queſtions
of the utmoſt Importance did he, from
Moment to Moient, put to himſelf,
without being able to answer any one of
them: He was in the utmoſt uncertain-
ty, whether ſhe had a Houfe or a Lodg-
ing; whether he ſhou'd be receiv'd in a
Parlour or a Dining-room; and whether
the Bed was Linnen or Damaſk; but to do
him Juſtice, whether he fhou'd be hap-
py in it, or not, was not one of them:
In short, Reader, if thou haft ever
known the Delight of being danc'd along
in a Chair to the Apartments of a fine
Woman, who was almoft a Stranger to
thee, but with whom thou wert very
well affur'd, thou wert in an Hour or
two to be better acquainted; thou may'ſt
have fome Idea of what was Mr Ed-
wards's Situation, as he was carry'd
down
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 205
down St James's-ftreet, a cross the Park,
and up to the Back-door of a very hand-
fome Houſe, the Front of which was
in Duke-street. I have the Charity alſo
to hope, that, if thou haft felt all theſe
Expectations upon as good an Occafion,
thou haft fucceeded, as well in the Event,
as our Hero did.
MR Edwards was no fooner out of
his Chair, than he was receiv'd at the
Bottom of a Terrace, by a Footman
with a white Flambeau, who lighted him
a croſs the Garden, and fhew'd him the
Way into a Hall, in which there ſtood
four more Fellows in the fame lac'd Uni-
forms, one of whom preceded him with
a couple of Wax-candles up a painted
Stair-cafe, and threw open the Door of
a Dining-room, the Furniture of which
was worth about a thoufand Pound.
OUR Lover's Ideas had indeed been
gradually enough rais'd to the Pitch they
were now at: But, notwithſtanding, the
full Torrent of his Surprife was now
too much for him to bear: He hefitated
a Moment at the Door, and after mut-
tering fomething to himſelf, that found-
ed like Mifs Sedate, You may go to the
Devil,
206 The ADVENTURES of
Devil, if you pleafe; he enter'd the
Chamber of Joy.
I KNOW not how it is, that the Ideas
of Magnificence are connected with thofe
of Love, but unquestionably they are fo.
The Woman, that we wou'd beftow a
Smile of Approbation on in a Luftring
Night-gown, we look up, with Reve-
rence to, in Embroidery; and her,
whom we held in the Rank of a pretty
Girl, while in Quality of Mifs Somebody,
we adore as a Divinity, as foon as we
are inform'd that the Terms right Ho-
nourable are tack'd to her Name.
MR Edwards, from the Nature of
his Aquaintance with this Lady, cou'd
never have any Idea of Wife enter into
his Heart; and his Circumſtances were
too affluent, to hear the flighteſt Thought.
of his being profited by her Fortune;
Yet, fo it was, that every Idea he had
form'd of her Charms, and of the Plea-
fure he ſhou'd have in her Acquaintance,
rofe in Proportion to thoſe he now enter-
tain'd of her Condition; and tho' but
half an before, the Turn of a Straw
might have determin'd his accepting, or
3
not
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 207
not accepting, her Invitation, a thouſand
Cart-horfes wou'd now ſcarce have been
able to drag him away from her.
>
AFTER fo much faid of the Heart and
Situation of the Hero of the prefent
Scene, it may be Time to come to the
Mention of the Heroine of it. Mifs
Oddly, for fuch was the Lady's Name,
was the only Daughter of a Man of im-
menfe Fortnne, who had dy'd while fhe
was an Infant; and fhe was now juft ar-
riv'd at the Age, in which the Will of
her Father, and the Laws of her Coun-
try, had thought her of Difcretion
enough to be trufted with the Manage-
ment of that, and that of herfelf, with-
out a Guardian. She was a tall, well
proportion'd, and extreamly genteel
Woman, but not handfome; her Fea-
tures were tolerably regular, and her
Complexion, tho' dark, not yellow; her
Eyes were, indeed, the fineft the World
ever faw, and her Teeth far from bad
ones; yet, fome Way, there was an Un-
luckineſs in the putting her Face toge
ther, that prevented a Poffibility of any
body's thinking her a Beauty. There
are many Faces allow'd to be very fine
ones
208
The ADVENTURES of
ones all together, which yet don't bear
taking to pieces; on the contrary, Mifs
Oddly's was of a Kind, that never fhow'd
fo much Merit as when examin'd by Parts;
and confequently fhe was one of thoſe few
Women, who appear much handfomer,
on a nearer and repeated Examination.
Whether it was owing to this Circum-
ftance in Nature, or to the Change of
Mr Edwards's Thoughts, from the
Grandeur of the Scene, we fhall not pre-
fume to fay; but thus much muſt be ac-
knowledged, that he thought her vaftly
more like an Angel now, than he had
done an Hour before..
SHE roſe from a Velvet Sopha, at the
upper End of the Room, to receive him;
ran to the very Door with vaft Alacrity
and Cheerfulneſs to meet him; feiz'd
his Hand between both her's, with per-
fect Familiarity; and, fqueezing it very
tenderly, told him, fhe was extreamly
glad to fee him: You think. me a
<
ftrange wild Creature, I know, Mr
• Edwards,' fays fhe, in all this, but
you won't like me the lefs for it,
when you have known me longer.'
Our Hero was railing his Lips, to make
A
the
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 209
;
-
•
the moft feeling Return for fo free and
good natur'd a Reception; but he
ftuck, as it were, half-way, on difco-
vering, at this Inftant, a gay genteel
young Fellow, whom the Lady had
left on the Corner of the Sopha fhe
had rifen from. The Lady faw his
Confufion, the tofs'd up her Head with
an engaging Indolence, and ſaid, with
the moſt confummate Indifference :
• O! don't put yourſelf under any
Conftraint, in regard to him; that
• Gentleman, you are to know, Sir,
• wou'd fain do me the great Honour
of becoming my Hufband.' She then
introduc'd them to one another in
Form; begg'd them, for her Sake, to
become acquainted, and, throwing her-
felf into the Middle of the Sopha,
pointed to the two Corners, as at their
Service.
A VAST deal of unreftrain'd Conver-
fation, and, to do it more than Juftice,
of real genuine Wit, pafs'd in Confe-
quence of this, before, at, and after
Supper. The Clock ftruck Two and
Three, unregarded; toward Four, the
Gentlemen began to find out, that they
had
210
The AD VENTURES of
had mutually refolv'd to fit out one
another: The Lady, however, at the
next Signal of the Clock, put a Period
to the Conteſt, by telling them it was
high Time they ſhou'd make an End of
their Vifit.
}
{
CHAP.
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 211
CH A P. VI.
Mr Edwards and his new Acquaintance
come towards and Explanation.
I'
Four Hero had been fomewhat fmit-
ten with the Gaiety and Freedom of
this Lady, and half in Love with her
Perfon, at his firft Interview, in which
he had conceiv'd very different Ideas'
from his prefent ones, about her Cir-
cumftances and Situation, he was now
perfectly fix'd to her; and he gave way,
in very Prudence, to his Fondnefs, as, he
flatter'd himſelf, he faw it wou'd not be
a great while, that he fhou'd be doom'd
to languish in Expectation.
•
THE Company of a third Perfon,
and that a profefs'd Rival, cou'd not
have been very agreeable to him on any
Conditions; but leaft of all fo, under the
Circumſtances in which he fancy'd this
Lady and he had met: He made no
doubt of her being as ready, as himſelf,
for every Extravagance of Love and
Folly; and he determin'd on the next
Afternoon, as the utmoft Period of their
mutual Expectation.
HE
212
The ADVENTURES of
HE vifited her fo early after Dinner,
that he knew he cou'd have no other
Company: She receiv'd him with all
the Joy and Familiarity of the Night
before, and He, who thought he
read every good-natur'd Intention, that
he cou'd wish in her Eyes, ventur'd,
pretty early in the Afternoon, to grum-
ble a little about the impertinent Staying
of the laft Night's Vifiter; and to intreat,
the wou'd prevent a Poffibility of fo
vexatious an Accident a fecond Time,
by giving Orders to her Servants, to fay,
ſhe was not at home, whoever came.
THE Lady anſwer'd, with a Stare,
accompany'd with a Naivetté of Afpect,
for there is no English Word, that can
exprefs fuch an innocent Ignorance of
Face, which puzzl'd our Hero's Ap-
prehenfion, to know what to make of
it: After a Silence of fome Moments,
in which, indeed, it was the Lover's
Buſineſs, if he had known his Buſineſs,
to have ſpoken, ſhe ſaid with a Look of
contemptuous Aftoniſhment: Why,
my dear, dear, little Lovy, what, in
the Name of Wonder, can you and I
have to talk of, that all the World
C
ર
may
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 213
may not hear. Upon my Honour, I
• am not afraid of owning I like you;
and I wou'd fain fuppofe, you need
not be aſham'd of being in Love with
Two People,' concluded fhe,
C
• me.'
in my Opinion, are the very worst
Party in the World; but come, fit
• down like a good Boy, and we'll make
the beſt we can of it, till fomebody
has Compaffion enough to come in,
and cure us of being tir'd of one
• another.'
·
MR Edwards was thoroughly plagu'd
and mortify'd at this Cavalier Speech:
It was not his Buſineſs however to quar-
rel; and he ſubmitted to it: They paſs'd
the Afternoon and the Evening, in great
Gaiety, alone: Fortune was favourable
enough to them, to have provided for
this, by keeping every body from the
Door;
but the Lover, as Men never
fail to put the beſt-natur'd Conſtruction
poffible on every Thing that regards the
Woman they like, made no doubt, but
this was by her Order, tho' fhe had pre-
tended not to deſign it, and had ſo hap-
pily counterfeited a Surpriſe, on his aſk-
ing her to do what ſhe had done already.
SUPPER
214 The ADVENTURES of
SUPPER came up, and our Hero per-
fectly fatisfy'd, that he fhou'd not be
turn'd out of Doors that Night again,
end fufficiently determin'd not to go out
on any other Terms, made a Merit of
keeping the Diſtance the Lady oblig'd
him to, and had ventur'd to fay, in Ex-
cufe for fome good Behaviour, that he
cou'd not help, that great Delicacies.
were to be fed on, not taſted; and that
no Man in his Senfes wou'd wish to eat
Ortalans off a Trencher.
ABOUT the Middle of Supper, when
the Lover's Heart was in much that Sort
of State, that a Bridegroom is, who has
marry'd for Love, when he is pulling
his Shoes off, a Rap at the Door pro-
claim'd the Approach of a Vifiter.
6
'
• Be
deny'd, dear, dear Creature, be de-
ny'd,' exclaims our Hero with great
Rapture; the Lady very coolly told
him, it was impoffible: That her Doors
were always open to good Company, and
that no other ever came to them; and,
giving him a gentle Pat on the Hand,
afk'd him, in a Whiſper, how he cou'd
be fuch a Bear, to hint fuch a Thing be-
fore the Servants?
WHATEVER
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 215
WHATEVER Diftrefs the former Part
of this Speech had involved him in, the
latter made him ample amends for He
conftru'd it into an abfolute Declaration
of her being willing to do every Thing,
but expofe herſelf, and was reconciling
his Thoughts to the Incident, vexatious
as it was, by affuring himſelf, fo late a
Vifit cou'd be but a fhort one; when
the Perfon enter'd the Room, and prov'd
to be no other than the honourable Lover
who had, as Mr Edwards underſtood it,
fpoil'd all the Sport the Night before.
<
•
HIS Afpect wou'd have ſpoken his
Difcontent, too plainly for the mifun-
derſtanding it, had not the Lady ad-
drefs'd the Gentleman who had juſt en-
ter'd, with all her natural Familiarity
and Vivacity: You a Lover indeed,
never prefume to tell me of it again;
never to fee me fince this Time laft
Night. Why here's this polite Crea-
ture has been courting me theſe fix
Hours; upon my Life, I have not had
a more agreeable tete a tete theſe feven
Years. You and I are generally infi-
pid after the firft Quarter of an
Hour; you muſt learn of him, if you
C
ever
216
The ADVENTURES of
C
ever think to charm me; do, my dear
Edwards, in Pity to me, teach the
• horrid Creature to be tolerable.'
OUR Hero, whofe Attention was all
this while at the utmoſt Pitch, now faw
the whole Affair in a new Light; he
concluded, by the time of this Vifit,
by his finding the fame Perfon there at
that Hour the Night before, tho' it was
evident the Lady had not been herſelf
at home half an Hour, and by the per-
fect Unconcern ſhe evidently gave herſelf,
as to all her Words and Actions before
him; that the Terms Husband and Ho-
nourable were mere Cant, us'd to dif
guife a Connexion of another Kind;
that the fending him away the Night be-
fore was pure Grimace; and that, in
fhørt, he was an humble Lover, ſup-
ported by the Lady, for the Amufe-
ment of her fofter Hours.
MR Edwards had not Diſguiſe enough
in his Nature, to cover either his Sufpi-
cions or his Uneaſineſs from them; he
grew dull, the Lady faw it; fhe rallied
her other Lover, for coming in fo op-
portunely, to ſpoil the beſt Company in
the World, and made this an Excuſe
for
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 217
for diffolving the Party earlier than or-
dinary, but not without telling Mr Ed-
wards, that the infifted upon ſeeing him
the very first Moment that he was in a
good Humour again.
THE Lover retir'd to his Bed, little
doubting but that his Rival flept in Mifs
Oddly's, and refolutely determin'd, that
he wou'd do fo the Night afterwards.
He visited her, as he had done before,
and was diſappointed, as he had been be-
fore; he repeated his Vifit, and his Dif-
appointment was repeated: He ſpent a
Fortnight in this dangling Way, every
Day expecting the Completion of his
Expectations, and every Day perfectly
fatisfy'd, that Accident, curfed Acci-
dent alone, not any Want of Inclination
on the Lady's Part, had prevented him.
In this Perfuafion, if any body cou'd
have read the Sentiments of his Heart
about Mifs Oddly, they wou'd have de-
clar'd her an infamous Strumpet; and
whoever had ſeen her Reception of him,
and of half a Dozen more People who
viſited her, wou'd have declar'd her Mi-
ftrefs of every one of them: Few
young Fellows have the Abfence of Va-
L
nity
218
The ADVENTURES of
;
nity in fuch a Degree, as to deny a Suf-
picion of this Kind, becauſe it is falſe
moſt have Difingenuity and Villainy e-
nough, for the laft Word expreſſes it
better, to boast the Conqueft they find
it impoffible to make; and thus, in this
great World of Scandal, a thouſand Re-
putations are facrific'd thro' Inadvertence
and Vanity; for one that is loft, becauſe,
there has been real Ill to occafion it.
!
CHAP.
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 219
CHAP. VII.
In which Mr Edwards and Mifs Oddly
abfolutely understand one another.
M
R Edwards, convinc'd at length,
that it was impoffible for him to
do any thing either at the Lady's Houſe,
or at his own (for fhe had vifited him
with great Freedom, and had always
laugh'd at his Attacks there, as much as
in her own Apartments) determin'd on
a new Plan: He attack'd her at the laſt
Maſquerade at Ranelagh, with his uſual
Freedom and Gaiety, but without any
Thing of that Wild-fire, that too often,
in their tete a tete Parties us'd to point
out fomewhat too plainly the Magazine
of Miſchief it was leading to: He found
her in avery Gay, and very good Humour,
full of Eafe, and wholly void of Sufpi-
cion.
He had Experience enough of the Sex
to know, that the firſt Victory has all the
Difficulty; that after this Coyneſs and Re-
fiftance are at an End; and in Confequence
of this Confideration, he came to a very
prudent Reſolution of fubmitting to taste
L 2
an
220
The ADVENTURES of
an Ortolan on a Trencher, according to
his own Phrafe, for the firſt Time, that
he might eat it off of Plate or China as
frequently as he pleafed afterward. He
fix'd on one of the Tents in the Garden, for
the Scene of his Raptures, and had no-
thing to give him a Moment's Uneaſineſs
about the Profecution of his Project,
but his Inexperience in our public Diver-
fions, and an Alarm rais'd by the Sight
of the Centinels, who were pofted at the
Doors of thefe Places of Recefs.
He walk'd fifty Times round and
round one of thefe, that was pitch'd in
an obfcure Part of the Garden, and was
extreamly fit for his Purpofe, examining
with great Attention, the Face of the
Centinel: At length, determin'd to
know the Worft, rather than run any
Rifque of a Diſappointment; he walk'd
up to him, and telling him, he did not
like the Appearance of arm'd Men in a
Place of Diverſion, afk'd him what he
was fet there for? The Fellow very
readily anſwer'd, that he was pofted
there to prevent Indecencies: The Word
might have deterr'd a Man lefs bent
upon the Execution of his Project, than
Mr Edwards now was, from farther En-
quiry;
*
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 221
quiry; but he went on to tell him
•
Sir,
there is a Lady in the Room, that I
have Occafion to ſpeak with in pri-
vate; if we fhould come into this
Tent, you wou'd not let any body elſe
'come in and interrupt us ? No to be
fure, Sir,' reply'd the Centinel,
hope I know my Duty better.'
I
HAPPY in this Certainty, the Lover
re-enter'd the Room; he foon found his
Miſtreſs; he complain'd of the Smell of
the Proviſions in the Eating-rooms, and
perfuading the Lady fhe was hungry,
tho' fhe cou'd not eat under fuch Difad-
vantages, he order'd a couple of Chairs
into this Tent, where there was already
a Table, and fending fome Crayfish, a
cold Chicken, and fome Wine, he rather
led her in, than afk'd if ſhe wou'd go.
Diftruft was not in the Nature of Mifs
Oddly, and Fear was yet more a Stranger
to it. She was not without Thoughts,
that this was a very wrong Thing ſhe was
doing, but ſhe wou'd not give them
leave to plead againſt the Propofal: it
was a Whim, and as fuch, it had irrefifti-
ble Attraction for her.
L 3
THE
222 The ADVENTURES of
THE Lover, on his Part, had ſhut up
the Eyes and Ears of the Centinel with a
Guinéa The Object of his Defires was
alone, defenceless, and in his Power, and
he wou'd not have given Six-pence to
affure him of the Victory. He began
with his uſual Addreffes, he proceeded to
fome bolder Hints than he had ventur'd
to give before, and, at length, he was uſing
the Eloquence of Arms. The Lady did
not ſee, at firſt, what a Situation ſhe had
brought herſelf into, and, when ſhe did,
fhe was as far from feeing how fhe fhou'd
get out of it. She very prudently con-
fider'd, that Refiftanee cou'd never fave
her what was there left for her then but
Compliance? She hardly pretended to
guard againſt his efforts, till they grew
too violent for Decency; but then fhe
drew back a ſtep or two, and, with per-
fect Compofure and great Good-nature
in her Countenance, told him: My
very refolute Lover, I don't know that
I ever told you it ſhou'd come to this;
• but if I had, I do affure you, juſt now
it is impoffible.'
་
THERE is not a Man in the World,
that would not rather have his Miſtreſs
with
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 228
with her inclination, than againſt it:
Cur Youth underſtood the Refuſal, as
the Lady intended he fhou'd; and affur'd
himfelf, that the Difficulties were now all
over, and that he might enter the Town at
Diſcretion he gave up the prefent Even-
ing at her Demand, and they finiſh'd their
Supper with great Harmony. The
Gaiety of Spirit, the Confent of his
Miſtreſs had given Mr Edwards, made
him more brilliant, more agreeable, than
ufual, during the Remainder of the Night,
every body envy'd the Lady her Lover,
as much as they did him his Miſtreſs;
and, about Five, he handed her to her
Chair, and to prevent Sufpicion of their
future Meetings, at her earneſt Requeft,
return'd to the Company.
LA
CHAP.
224 The ADVENTURES of
CHA P. VIII.
Two Love-Letters in a new Style.
T
HE utmoft Stretch of our Lover's
Genius was employ'd the next
Morning, to inform the Lady in a Let-
ter, how impoffible it was to tell her,
how happy the had made him. He was
furpris'd, that he receiv'd no Anſwer to
it. He call'd on her in an Hour after-
wards, and heard fhe was out: He
wrote to her to complain of his hard
Fate, and had the hard Fate to receive
no Anſwer; he vifited her, to reproach
her with her Ingratitude, and did not
find her at home; in fhort he ſpent four
Days in repeated Calls, Meffages, and
Letters, before he found out, that the
Lady had reſolved never to fee, hear, or
think of him any more.
He curs'd his Stars on the Diſcovery,
and, a Minute and a Half afterwards, he
blefs'd them again: Mifs Sedate, who
had never, in all this Period, once en-
ter'd into his Thoughts, now appeared
before his Imagination in all her Charms
again; nay, we will not venture to af-
fert,
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 225
fert, that ſhe did not gain fome addi-
tional ones, from the Difdain of her Ri-
val. The Lover congratulated himſelf
on the difinterefted Air, with which he
cou'd now vifit her Father: He deter-
min'd on doing it inftantly, and order'd
his Valet to prepare for dreffing him to
the beſt Advantage.
His Hair was powder'd, his Heart
full of Joy at the Thought of his intend-
ed Vifit, and his Face drefs'd in Smiles
of Security, when, as he was getting
into his Chariot, and had given the
Word for Queen-fquare, the Equipage
of Mifs Oddly pafs'd by, and the Lady
gave him a very polite flying Nod.
Whether fhe meant this in Contempt,
or in very Civility, we fhall not take
upon us to determine; but certain it is,
that the Lover return'd it by a Bow to
the very Ground: The Colour left his
Face, and the Thoughts he had before
been fo full of, his Heart: He drew back.
into the Houſe; order'd the Coachman
to put up, and, in the Eagerneſs and
Uncertainty of his Soul, determin'd to
write to her. He knew by the Hour,
and the Way ſhe went, whither ſhe was
going; he cou'd not but think it worth
L 5
while
226 The ADVENTURES of
while to call her back, if in his Power:
He knew Compliaints and Intreaties
wou'd only make him the Object of her
Contempt, perhaps, of that of half her
Acquaintance; he fummon'd up all his
Gallantry, and difpatch'd the following
Cavalier Letter after her :
6
✓
•
MADAM,
Yo
OU look'd just now, as if you
was willing I fhou'd come and
fee you. Upon my Word, I ſhall be
very happy, if you'll let me.
If not,
⚫ your own Pleaſure be obey'd; but, for
'old Acquaintance Sake, do me the little
• Favour of letting me know it.
I am, very fincerely,
with a great deal of Efteem,
Your obedient humble Servant.
G. EDWARDS.
IT was with a painful Impatience
Ir
that Mr Edwards waited the Return of
his Meffenger, but it was not very long
that he was kept in it. The Lady, who
was always as much at home in other
People's
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 227
People's Houſes, as her own,
no
fooner read the Billet, then fhe order'd
Pen and Ink, and, making a polite Apo-
logy to the Company, in which the
Words Money, Bufinefs, and Impor-
tance, had their peculiar Emphaſis, fhe
wrote the following Anſwer:
x
SIR,
*
To do you Juftice, I must own
your Letter an Original. There is a
happy Familiarity in it; and I think
great Reafon. You fee I give it the
Applauſe it deferves; I fuppofe you
• meant no more from it. I wou'd not
pay fo ill a Compliment to your Dif-
cernment, to ſay you miftook my
• Looks: I know you only banter me,
for putting on an Appearance of Civi-
lity to a Man I ought to hate and de-
fpife. Such are your Merits, but your
• Sentence is milder: I fhall only for-
< get you. Remember, that we are
Strangers, and you will do every
Thing in your Power that can oblige'
€
6
'
E. ODDLY.
L 6
CHAP.
228
The ADVENTURES of
CHA P. IX.
Our Hero receives very unexpectedly a fresh
Supply, before he wants it.
T
HERE is no Circumſtance of
Life in which a Man fo much
feels the Advantage of having, as the
vulgar Phraſe runs, two Strings to his
Bow, as in a Love Affair. He, who,
if he had but one Miſtreſs, would per-
haps hang or drown himſelf in Con-
fequence of her Cruelty, while he has
two, is always fure to make this moſt
terrible of all Misfortunes, as it is ufually
fuppos'd, turn infinitely to his Advan-
tage Inſtead of taking a Pair of Oars
for London-Bridge, with his Pockets
loaded as heavily as thofe of the facetious
Mr Pipes were by a Brother Novel-
monger of the prefent Age, in Revenge
to the Infolence of a Chairman; inftead
of making the Noofe in the fatal Garter,
that very Garter the relentleſs Fair, in
happier Days, had employ'd her deli-
cate Fingers in knitting for him, he feeks
the Manfions of the rival Beauty, throws
himfelf at her Feet with a redoubled
Ardor, his Languifhings for the other
Miſtreſs
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 229
Miſtreſs all turn into Tenderneffes to
this, and he owes his Succefs, where it is
worth having, to his Diſappointment,
where it would have been a Misfortune
to have fucceeded.
SUCH is the general Courfe of
flighted Love, where there is another
Object in Readineſs: But, gentle Rea-
der, remark that we are ſpeaking gene-
ral Truths only in this Place; and, if
thou ſhouldſt, in thy own great Saga-
city, chance to apply them to the pre-
fent Circumftance of our Story, thou
wilt do more than we meant to bid thee,
and the Errors thou leadeft thy felf into,
be they all on thine own Head.
ALL that we mean to infer from this
Digreffion, is, that Mr Edwards, having
another Miſtreſs in Petto, bore the
Lofs of the former with fomewhat more
Heroiſm and Unconcern than he pro-
bably wou'd have done, had it fallen
upon him at a Time, when he was more
unprovided.
THERE needed but little Sagacity to
diſcover, that he had thoroughly, per-
fectly, and for ever loft his former Love:
The
230 The ADVENTURES of
The Refolution was to ſecure the other
as foon as he cou'd. We have already
had Occafion to obſerve, that, though
Mifs Oddley had many Accomplish-
ments, Beauty was not of the Number :
We are apt to believe that, if it had, it
would have loft much of it's Merit, at
the preſent Period, with Mr Edwards:
Nothing takes off fo much from a Wo-
man's perfonal Charms in the Eyes of
her Lover as his being angry with her,
unleſs it be her being angry herſelf.
Mifs Sedate's natural Advantages in this
Reſpect, appear'd doubled on this Oc-
cafion; the Lover wou'd not eaſily
have been brought to fuppofe, at this
time, that an Archangel was quite fo
handſome, quite fo wife, or quite fo full
of Sweetneſs. He determin'd on vifit-
ing her the next Day, and devoted a
new Suit of Embroidery to aid him in
his Attack, by making it's firft Appear-
ance before her.
To fay, whether it were Mr Edwards's
good or evil Genius that conftantly pre-
vented him from putting in Execution
his Deſigns upon this Lady, will require
fome far ther Period of Time, than can be
compriſed within the Bounds of this Hif-
tory,
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 231
:
tory, to determine; indeed, fome Time
that is not yet elapfed muſt runs it's
Courſe firſt, for I determine againſt all
Judgments of the Events of Marriages
made during the firſt fix Weeks; ſo it
was, however, that, with all this Admi-
ration in his Head, and all this Love in
his Heart, he never faw her after the
firſt Meeting.
Ir thou fuppofeft this the Contri-
vance of the Author, O Reader! rather
than of Fate, thou wilt be apt to ſay,
he was reduc'd to a very fhabby one,
when thou heareſt that the Incident which
put the final Period to all this deter-
mined Courtship, took it's Origin from
no greater a Beginning, than his re-
ceiving this very Evening a Note from
his Uncle Jeremy, to tell him that he
had ſome particular Buſineſs, and wiſhed
to fee him the next Morning.
MR Edwards was polite enough not
to go to Bed before Three o'Clock, and
confequently not to rife before Noon:
It was One O'Clock before he arrived at
his Uncle's Apartment, where he found
the Buſineſs was, that the old Gentle-
ınan had heard from his Father, and was
about
232
The ADVENTURES of
about to fend him over his Accounts;
he added,
I cannot fuppofe, Nephew,
that you are in Want of Money at
this time; but, as I can't properly
• anfwer any Draught of yours after theſe
Accounts are fent over, till I have
your Father's Anfwer about them,
here is an odd Sum of thirteen hun-
• dred Pounds more, which you may as
well take at prefent, and I will add
it with the ufual Conditions to the
• Bill.'
<
THE young Fellow's Heart leaped
at the Name of the Money. He little
imagin'd what were his Uncle's Motives.
in offering it: He accepted it with the
warmeft Returns of Gratitude, and pro-
mis'd to be as prudent as if he had not
feen a Six-pence of it. The old Fellow,
who had now lent all the Money he
could raiſe on fo good Security, and at ſo
good Intereft, knew he had made all the
Market he was to expect of the Family.
He fent over his Accounts by the next
Ship, and very eafily reconcil'd himſelf
to the Light he muſt appear in to the
Father, from the Confideration of the
Advantage he had made of him. The
unlimited
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 233
unlimited Bill of Credit he had given,
the old Fellow knew, was fufficient to
bear him out in Law; and he was only
unhappy, that he had not been able to
command more ready Money, of which
he might have made the fame noble and
honeft Advantage.
CHAP.
234 The ADVENTURES of
CHAP. X
Mr Edwards falls in the Way of a new
Adventure.
WH
HILE Uncle Jeremy's Thoughts
were all Rapture on the Succefs
of his Schemes upon the diftant Father,
his Nephew's were not lefs elate with
the Proſpect of his Amour, and with the
Sum he had fo unexpectedly become
poffefs'd of. His Chariot was at the
outer Gate of Scotland-Yard, and he was
tripping to it with great Alacrity, to
get Home and prepare for the enchant-
ing Scene of the Afternoon, when he
was ſtopped by the Execution of a moft
maſterly Hand, on a fine-ton'd Harp-
fichord, accompany'd by a Voice which
was eaſily diftinguifh'd to be a Female
one, and whofe Sweetnefs made every
other Sound difagreeable.
OUR Hero had Tafte enough for
Mufic to be ftruck with this Perfor-
mance, and Judgment enough to ad-
mire it; he turn'd his Eye toward the
Place whence it came, and, through the
Opening that a half-drawn up, blue
Silk
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 235
Silk Curtain gave into an elegant Par-
lour, he diſcover'd the Perfon to whom
he owed his Entertainment.
Ir happen'd that Mrs Conqueft, for
the Lady was no other than that accom-
plish'd Fair one, had turn'd her Head
toward the Window, at the very Inſtant
when his Eyes were directed to it. If
thou haft feen Mrs Conquest, gentle
Reader, we need not tell thee what
were the Senſations in a young Fellow's
Heart, who had, before fhe looked to-
ward him, been in a very good Humour
to admire her; if thou haft that Pleaſure
to come, it is worth purchaſing at the
Expence of an Empire. The State of
Mr Edward's Heart, at this Moment,
we can no more deſcribe, than himſelf
could, if he had been then call'd upon
to do it. The Lady bluſh'd on feeing
ſhe was obſerv'd; and the Lover, for ſo
from this Inftant we are to call him,
retir'd flowly to Will's Coffee-houſe.
He was not lucky enough to find
any body he knew there; but his impa-
tience was too great to let him think of
Punctilio's. He fat down at a Table
where there were four young Sea-Offi-
cers,
236
The ADVENTURES of
cers, and afk'd them, not without great
Emotion, if they could poffibly inform
him who it was that liv'd over the
Way? A Smile appear'd upon every
one of their Faces in an Inftant, and
the ſhort Sentences, Do you tell him; no,
do you tell him, were bandy'd about from
one to another of them, around and
acroſs the Table, with great Alacrity,
attended by many fpeaking Looks and
Shrugs for feveral Minutes.
OUR Hero told them, he was very
happy to find every one of them was
able to give him the Information he had
taken the Liberty to afk; but he beg-
ged, in Confideration of his own Im-
patience and Uneafinefs, they would
fettle it at once, who fhould do him
the friendly Office. The Burft of a
ſhort Laugh from every Quarter accom-
pany'd the Word Impatience, and, in Re-
gard to the other Term, fomething was
whiſper'd about his not being kept in
fuch a State very long, that was very
far from being difpleafing to him.
HE preffed his Suit; but at length
the eldeſt of the Company, as the
Laugh declin'd among them, look'd
grave,
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 237
.
grave, and faid,
No, d-n it, 'tis
Pity; don't fay any thing about her.'
He got up as he ſpoke; the others fol-
low'd his Example; and our Hero,
when he thought himſelf on the Brink
of hearing a Hiſtory that he found him-
felf greatly intereſted in, had the Mor-
tification to fee he was left alone, with
nothing to comfort him, but what little
Eafe he had received from the peculiar
Emphaſis with which one of the Com-
pany had pronounc'd after him the
Word unealy.
CHAP
238 The ADVENTURES of
CHAP. XI.
Mr Edwards makes violent Love to the
celebrated Mrs Conqueft.
M
ISS Sedate had long proved a
good ftanding Dish with our
Hero, that he thought he could have
recourſe to on any Emergency; but it
was her Fate ftill to be fet by for every
new Kickſhaw. As fhe had been before
difregarded for the Sake of Mifs Oddly,
fhe was now deftin'd to the fame Fate
on account of Mrs Conqueft. There was
fomething in the Face of that Lady,
that our Hero found irrefiftible. He
threw himſelf into his Chariot, and drove
Home to concert the Manner in which
he ſhould make his Approaches.
THE whole World cannot fhew an
Inftance of what dreadful Confequences
perfect Inadvertence and a too carelefs
Gaiety of Spirit in a Woman may be at-
tended with, than in Mrs Conquest; whoſe
Virtue, though as free from Stain or
Blemiſh as her Face, yet has not been
able to preſerve her Character from being
hacked and mangled, as we have juſt
feen,
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 239
feen, even in public, by a Number of
butcherly Ruffians.
IT was the Fortune of this amiable
Creature to be marry'd early to an old
Huſband. A public Employment, that
Gentleman was vefted with, naturally
and neceffarily drew a Multitude of gay
People about him: A young Woman,
with lefs Beauty and fewer Accom-
pliſhments than Mrs Conqueft was pof-
feffed of, under the Circumftance of
being fo marry'd, and fo vifited, could
not have fail'd of many Addreffes. She
received them all alike, diverted herſelf
with bantering and laughing at them,
much as we have juft feen Mifs Oddly
ferve our Hero, and conftantly enter-
tained her Huſband with the Progrefs
every one had made: It is as certain,
that not one of the Friends of this Gen-
tleman ever did him the Injury that al-
moft every Friend is ready to do almoſt
every Huſband whofe Wife is hand-
fome, as that every one of them defired
it. The natural Confequence of a Re-
pulfe of this Kind, given to a Rafcal, is
his boaſting that he has fucceeded; there
were not wanting fome People of this
Stamp among the Number of Mrs Con-
queft's
240
The ADVENTURES of
queft's Admirers, and, as her unreſtrain'd
Behaviour to every one of them had
given too much Appearance for Sufpi-
cion, there was not one of them who
told a Falfity of this Kind, but was be-
liev'd. The Men very readily gave into
this, as it flatter'd their own Expecta-
tions, in regard to her; and the Wo-
men were glad to propagate it, as it took
from the Character of one, whoſe Per-
fon and Qualifications render'd her the
Rival of the whole Sex.
Mrs
We are all naturally the laſt People
in the World, who hear any ill of our-
felves; and, when we do hear it with a
Conſciouſneſs of not having deferv'd it,
we are apt to treat it with a Contempt
that is very well reconcileable to Juſtice,
tho' by no Means to Prudence.
Conqueft had no Idea, that the World in
general had taken up fo unjuſt an Opi-
nion of her, and had always treated
what Hints fhe had receiv'd of it, whe-
ther from Friends or Enemies, with an
infolent Difregard, which, though it
very well fquared with her own juft Sen-
timents on the Subject, yet, under the
unhappy Miſtake the World was in, it
gave thofe, who thought unfairly of her,
3
an
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 24t
an Idea of a Character that was not a-
bove Sufpicion, but harden'd againſt
Accufation.
SUCH was the Situation of Mrs Con-
quest, after the Death of her Huſband,
when the Hero of our Story added one
to the Number of her Admirers. He
was thoroughly in Love with what he
had feen of her, and little imagin'd, that
the Face he had been fo charm'd with at
a Diſtance, wou'd appear infinitely hand-
fomer on a nearer Examination, much
lefs that with all it's Merit fet in the
beſt Light, it was the laſt Thing that a
Man of Difcernment wou'd find out to
admire in her who poffeffed it. The ill
Succeſs of his dangling Scheme with Miſs
Oddly determin'd him on the bringing
Matters to a more ſpeedy Iffue in this
Adventure: The Character he had con-
ceiv'd of the Lady, from what he
learn'd at Will's, gave him all the En-
couragement he cou'd defire to proceed
upon a bold Plan; and he determin'd
that very Night, as the Period of his
Siege. He order'd the embroider'd Suit,
that was to have introduc'd him to the
good Graces of Mifs Sedate, to be
brought out; gave Directions to his Va-
M
let,
242 The ADVENTURES of
let, to be more than ordinary careful in
dreffing his Hair; and, before he fat
down to the Opération, he diſpatch'd
the following Card to the Lady:
6
$
6
MADAM,
AN Accident fhew'd me this Morn-
ing that, till then, I had not ſeen the
fineft Woman in the World: You
won't blame, or wonder at my being
defirous of repeating that leaſure.
I beg you will do me the Honour of
fuffering me to wait on you this After-
noon, which I fhall eternally remem-
ber, as an infinite Obligation laid on,
Madam,
Your very obedient
and devoted Servant,
G. EDWARDS.
THE Anfwer brought back was ver-
bal, and was, that the Lady did not re-
collect that ſhe knew any body of the
Name of Edwards; but, that whoever
the Perfon was, fhe defir'd to fee him.
3
IT
Mr George Edwards, a Creole.. 243
$
It is very poffible the Lover might
not underſtand by this Meffage, exactly
what the Lady meant, who fent it: It
appear'd to him in no other Light, than
that he was willing to receive the Ad-
dreffes of a Stranger, be he who he wou'd:
Whether Mrs Conquest had intended ex-
actly that by it, the Reader may poffi-
bly diſcover in the following Chapter.
M 2
CHAP
£44
The ADVENTURES of
CHAP. XII.
In which Mr Edwards and Mrs Con-
queft part much better Friends than
they met.
TH
HE Hour of viſiting arriv'd; the
Beau was equip'd for Victory;
the Coachman drove up to the Door with
a peculiar Flouriſh; the Footman made
the whole Yard re-eccho with the Larum
he founded at it; and the Hero was re-
ceiv'd by a Servant out of Livery, at
the Door, and conducted to the Parlour.
THE Lady was reading, or pretend-
ing to read, when he enter'd; he drew
herſelf up to two Inches more than her
ordinary Height, as fhe receiv'd him;
and, without laying down her Book,
told him, it was impoffible for her to
guefs how fhe came to be honour'd with
that Vifit. Short and fimple as the
Purport of this Sentence was, there was
fomething in the Lady's Manner, as fhe
deliver'd it, that perfectly convinc'd our
Adventurer, he had made a very unhap-
py Blunder, and been guilty of an un-
pardonable Crime in Confequence of it.
There
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 145
There was fomething of a Dignity with-
out Affectation, a commanding Supe-
riority without the leaft Tincture of In-
folence in the Lady's Deportment, that
ftruck and confounded him too much,
to give him leave even to reply.
He was ftanding in a perplex'd Si-
lence, and making as fooliſh a Figure as
ever a fine Gentleman did under a Dif
appointment; when the Lady, pointing
to a Chair, told him, I don't know,
• Sir, that the Want of a proper Reſpect
•
in you can juftify me in an Omif-
• fion of the fame Kind; I beg you will
⚫fit down! and, Sir,' continued fhe,
not that I can refent a Thing of this
Kind, from a Perfon who is an entire
Stranger to me; but, for my own
Satisfaction, I beg you to inform
• me, what can have led you to fo
ſtrange a Step as this.'
•
$
THE great Compofure, with which
Mrs Conqueft fpoke this, had ſome Ef-
fect upon the ruffled Thoughts of our
Hero, he began to come to himſelf a
little, and, after a fhort Paufe, told her,
That he fhou'd not attempt to make
any Apology, becauſe there was no
Submiffion
M 3
246 The ADVENTURES of
6
• Submiffion that cou'd be adequate to
• the Offence: But that he thought it
Juftice to herfelf, as well as to the
• Perfons who led him into his Error,
to acknowledge, that the Fault was
• entirely his own: That the Origin of
• it was mere unlucky Accident: That he
had enquir'd after her, on his acci-
dentally feeing her in the Morning ;
and that, having been but ill qualify'd
to deſcribe her on fo flight a View,
• he had done her fo little Juftice in the
Attempt that the Gentlemen, he had
apply'd to for Information, had indif
putably underſtood him of ſome other
• Woman; and had given him an Ac-
• count of that Perfon, which had autho-
riz'd his writing the Note, which by
great Miftake he had fent to her.'
<
<
THE Lady, with the fame Compo-
fure of Countenance (for fhe, is of all
Women in the World, moft Miſtreſs of
her felf) afk'd him, as a farther Act of
Friendship, to tell her, of whom he had
that Information. Mr Edwards thought
the leaft Reparation he cou'd attempt
making the Lady, for fuch an Injury
as he had done her, was telling her the
Truth: He confefs'd, that he receiv'd
it
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 247
}
#
it from fome Strangers, of whom he had
made his Enquiry at the Coffee-houſe juſt
by.
MRS Conquest cou'd not refrain from
telling him with a Blufh, that it was not
well done to enquire after a Woman of
any Degree of Reputation, in fo un-
guarded a Manner: But recovering her-
felf from this little Confufion, fhe pro-
ceeded to ask him, with the fame Cool-
neſs, with which ſhe had propoſed the
preceding Queſtions, whether the Per-
fons, from whom he had receiv'd his In-
formation, appear'd to be of the Navy?
Mr Edwards anſwer'd, that he believ'd
they were.
ALL the Refolution of Mrs Conquest
could not fupport her againft the Shock
fhe felt at this Reply: The Woman'
overcame the Heroine in her Difpofition;
and honeft Tears proclaim'd her Inno-
cence, more than all the Affeverations in
the World cou'd have done. She ſup-
prefs'd 'em after a few Moments, and,
recovering her Calmnefs again, deliver'd
her Senfe of the Incident, in the follow-
ing Words: I am convinc'd, Sir, of
< a Thing I have often had Reafon to
• fufpect,
•
M 4
#48
The ADVENTURES of
،
fufpect, but wou'd never permit my-
• felf to believe before. There was a
• confus'd Perplexity in your firft Apo-
logy, that fhew'd me, you did not
perfectly believe yourſelf in what you
told me: You have made no Miſtake:.
I am not afham'd to tell you, I am
the Perfon thefe People meant, by
their Account to you; for Shame is
is the proper Attendant on Guilt, not
on the Accufation of it. I fhall con-
vince you, Sir, that the Character you
are pleaſed to entertain of me, does
not belong to me; but, in Juftice to
myfelf, I ought alſo to tell you, that
i
• I have been unhappy enough to be the
• Object of very unwarrantable Purſuits
in many of the People of that Rank,
• and am afraid, my not having liſten'd
to any of them has laid me under an
Afperfion, that nothing, but my having
acted a contrary Part, could have
juſtify'd.'
C
4
"
MR Edwards arofe flowly and trem-
bling from his Chair, and walking up to
the Lady, with the utmoft Modeſty and
Referve in his Deportment, took hold of
her Hand: I don't know how to ex-
prefs, Madam,' fays he, the Afto-
•
•
• niſhment
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 249
•
.
nishment and Confufion you have fill'd
me with: I never can forgive myſelf
the Infult I have offer'd you, nor
think of any Reparation, but the con-
vincing the Perfons who mis-inform'd
me in this fhameful Manner that they
did fo. But this is trifling. You fee
before you, Madam, an honeft, inno-
cent, undefigning Fellow, with a For-
tune equal to almoft any Woman's
Expectations: Give me leave to con--
vince you, how perfectly fatisfy'd I
am of my firſt Miſtake, by offering
myſelf and that. Fortune to you, up-
on your own Conditions. I am fen--
fible, I can't be worthy of you: I am
• fenfible, nothing can be worthy of
C
•
C
6.
you:
But I am more fenfible, that I have
• feen too much, to be able to fupport
• the Lofs of you.?
THE Lady, who had not, during this
whole Speech, recover'd herſelf from
the Confufion her own Declaration had
involved her in, as foon as fhe had re-
collected herſelf, reply'd, I am not
to deny to you, that I have heard.
• much of this romantic Way of Talk
• before; I have no Reafon to imagine.
you ferious; nor, if I did, is there any
M 5
thing
250 The ADVENTURES of
·
thing I cou'd Anfwer to it. We are
Strangers, and I beg we may continue
fo. I cannot but acknowledge, your
• Vifit has been the Cauſe of more un-
eafineſs to me, than I have ever felt
before, or fhall be ever capable of feel-
ing again; but you have been the in-
"nocent Cauſe of it, and I forgive you
freely. I think the Bufinefs of this
ftrange Vifit is at an End; and I beg
you will not think it intentional Rude-
nefs, that I requeſt you to put an End
to it; for, upon my Word, I am ill,
• and muſt be excuſed from having Com-
pany any longer.
:
MR Edwards, who was perfectly in
earneſt in his laft Declaration, was in no
Humour to part upon theſe Conditions :
He prefs'd his having leave to wait on
her again, very importunately, but was
refus'd The Lady at length was re-
duc'd to fay, • Indeed, you oblige me
to tell you, this is not ufing me well a
I cannot, will not ftay any longer with
you, nor is there any Appearance of
Reaſon, why I fhould think of feeing
you again.' Even this, home as it-
was, cou'd not fend off our Lover on fo
bad Terms; he continued with infinite
Submiffions
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 251
Submiffions and Apologies, to entreat
ſhe wou'd permit him to fee her, if it
were but once more; and in fine, ex-
torted from her a Promife, that, on Con-
dition, fome Perfon, whom. fhe ought
to believe, would tell her, he was a pro-
per Perfon for a Woman of Character
to be vifited by, fhe wou'd conſent to
his coming fome other Afternoon.
M 6
СНАР,
252 The ADVENTURES of
CHA P. XIII.
The Friend of our Hero is engaged in a
very important Negotiation.
MRS
RS Conquest cou'd not well fup-
pofe, that the Conditions fhe had
exacted, cou'd be very hard ones, upon.
a Perſon of her new Lover's Appear-
ance and Deportment: But fo it was,
that,if fhe had commanded him to bring
Certificates from another World of his
Qualifications, the Difficulty cou'd not
have appeared to him at firft Sight much.
greater..
*
MR Edwards was, indeed, in aSituation.
that many a Man of Figure in this
Town is in, tho' he very little ſuſpects.
it of himſelf, he was known to no Crea-
ture that was worth knowing. It was
hardly more than a Month that he had
been in Europe: In that Time, he had
made but very few Acquaintances, and
thofe were
were not only among People,.
who in reality knew nothing of him, but
whom he had very good Reaſon to be:
afhamed of
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 253.
Ir fometimes came into his Head to
fend his Uncle, who cou'd affure the
Lady of the true State of his Affairs }
but his Figure and Appearance, he
dreaded, wou'd have very bad Effect
on fuch a Commiffion: While he was in
the Midft of this Perplexity, revolving
every thing but what was of moft Im-
portance in his Mind, Mr Spenſe, who
had a Right to much more of his Atten-
tion, than the Hurry of his late Pur-
fuits had given him an Opportunity of
paying him, came in on a Viſit.
•
THE Youth no fooner faw him, than
he flew into his Arms: < Deareft,
• dearest Friend,' fays he, I con-
• demn myſelf of Ingratitude and Bafe-
nefs, while I tell you, that you have
• never enter'd înto my Thoughts, tho'
you are the only Man in the World,
• who can do me a Service,
"
that
my whole Life, fpent in Gratitude and.
Acknowledgements, can never repay
you.' He proceeded to tell him the
Nature of his Situation, and the Ne-
ceffity of fome Man of Worth and Hon
our appearing to his Character.
Hist
}
254 The ADVENTURES of
•
་
His Friend very readily undertook
the Office, but told him, there was a
Difficulty he did not ſeem to ſee in the
Way, which was, that he was as ut-
terly unknown as himself to the Lady,
and indeed to the World, and Confe-
quently his Teftimoney cou'd be of very
little Weight in his Favour.
6 • Go, my
dear Friend,' reply'd the Youth,
C go, and be charm'd as much as I
· am: You'll find a Woman, who
does not take up her Rules of judging,
from the Cuftoms or Opinions of the
World. She has Judgment enough
to diſtinguiſh Merit and Honour,
wherever it is plac'd, and will not be
a Moment at a lofs, to know what
Dependance he is to place on your
Teftimony: Go, and may fuccefs
• attend you! For to me, there is but
one Road to Happineſs in the World,
and fhe alone can guide to it.'
•
<
C
C
ما
THE next Morning was fix'd on for
the Vifit of the Friend, and the necef-
fary Preparations were made for it, by
a Card from that Gentleman, to inform
her, that Mr Spenfe, wou'd do himſelf
the Honour of waiting on her, to in-
form
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 255
form her of the Family, and Affairs.
of the Gentleman whom ſhe had ſeen the
Day before. The Prudence and Caution
of Mr Spenfe wou'd have objected to the
Terms, Family and Affairs, as hinting
at fomething too particular in the Na-
ture of his Embaffy; but Mr Edwards
was much in earneft, he knew this
wou'd be puting the whole Affair in a
very forward Situation: He knew that
this was the very Buſineſs upon which
he had at length obsained her Permif-
fion to fend a Friend to her, he was
heartily determin'd not to lofe fo much
Ground; and he depended on her good
Underſtanding, for her not excepting
against a Freedom, which, however far
he carry'd it, fhe would remember fhe.
had given him a Right to.
NOTWITHSTANDING thefe Reaſons,
which were all very good Ones, for the
adding theſe two Words to the Note,
our Hero's noble Courage was hardly
enough to fupport him during the In-
terval of the fending, and receiving an
Anſwer to it: The Moment the Meffen-
ger produc'd the Card, he tore it open;
and had no fooner read in it, that the
Lady would be glad to ſee Mr Spenſe at
One,
2.56
The ADVENTURES of
One, than he concluded he had fucceed-
ed to his utmoft Expectations, and con-
gratulated himſelf very heartily on fo
amazing, fo unexpected, a Happiness,
as he now affur'd himſelf he was upon
the Point of poffeffing.
MR Spenfe, who knew the precipitate
Temper of his young Friend, tho' he
had determin'd, however, much againſt
his Inclinations, to execute his Commif-
fion with the utmoft Punctuality, yet
thought it proper, before he gave the
Character of his Friend, to enquire into
that of the Perfon to whom he was to
give it. He fucceeded in this, no better
than the Lover himſelf had done: But
he determin'd not to fhock his Ears with
a Repetition of what he had been told,
till he had found by the Behaviour of the
Lady herfelf, how much Truth there
was in it. He was punctual to the Ap-
pointment, and, if the Reader's Curiofity
fhould prompt him to enquire what
pafs'd at this Interview, he will find it
recorded in the following Chapter.
I
1
CHA P.
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 257
CHA P. XIV.
A Meeting between two very accompliſh'd
TH
People.
HOUGH Mr. Spenfe had gone
to Mrs Conquest with no better an
Opinion of her, than the Lover had
carry'd with him on his Viſit, he was
almoſt as immediately convinc'd of the
Wrong he had done her in harbouring
it, as his Friend had been: He did not
think it was his Bufinefs to give the
leaft Hint of Sufpicions, which he af-
fur'd himſelf, from her Manner and
Deportment, were abfolutely ground-
lefs, but was impatient to enter on the
Bufinefs of his Ambaffy. The Lady
interrupted, him with an Apology for
her own Conduct, in ſeeing him on ſuch
an Errand, and continued to tell him,
• The Gentleman, Sir, in whofe Favour
you come, is an entire Stranger to me:.
I have feen him only once, and the
• Circumſtances under which we then
• met were fuch, as might have pre-
judiced me much more againſt him,
than my receiving this Vifit from you
will make it appear that I am : I would
6
6
• not
258 The ADVENTURES of
<
• not condemn a Perfon for being miſled
into a Fault, as I would one who was
intentionally guilty of it; but, tho' I
have forgot the Offence, I am to do
myſelf the Juftice of affuring you,
this Meeting with you has been the
• Effect of his too earneſtly requesting
it, not of any Inclination I can have
to talk farther upon fo romantic a
Subject, as you do me the Honour to
• engage yourſelf about.'
C
<
C
C
C
Ir it were poffible, Madam,' re
ply'd Mr Spenfe, for you to know the
Circumftances under which I plead for
this Gentleman's having Permiffion to
• wait upon you, you would pay a more-
than ufual Attention to it. I ac-
knowledge to you, Madam,' conti-
nued he, that I fcarce know any thing
that cou'd make me fo unhappy, as his
fucceeding in his Addreffes to you:
But he knows nothing of this, he con-
fides in me as an honeft Man, and em-
ploys me as a Friend: My own par-
tial Views fhall give Place to his Hap-
pinefs, and I will act up to the Confi-
dence he has repos'd in me, by af-
furing you, that he is a Youth of un-
common Qualifications of Mind, free
• from
C
4
<
C
<
I
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 259
from every Taint of Vice, and has a
• Heart full of every Virtue: His For-
tune is fuch as few Women cou'd ex-
cept againſt, and I am very ſenſible,
Madam,' concluded he,
of your
Deferts when I fpeak it, but I muſt
add, that I think him every way wor-
thy even of you, and believe, from
my Soul, that he will be the Author
of as much Happineſs to you, as you
• to him.'
૮
Mrs Conqueft was charm'd with the
difinterefted, plain Sincerity of the Per-
fon who spoke to her:
There is a noble Freedom
Dwells with the Great, unknown to fawn
ing ycophants,
That claims the Privilege of being believ'd.
She did not queftion the Sincerity of the
leaft Accent he had utter'd, and began
to think of the young Fellow in a
much more favourable Light than fhe
had hitherto done: There was fome-
thing, however, in the Beginning of
Mr Spenfe's Declaration, in favour of
his Friend that touch'd her, fhe knew
not why, very nearly: You tell me,
< Sir,
250
The ADVENTURES of
<
<
<
C
C
<
Sir,' fays fhe, that yourſelf are nearly
intereſted in the Event of what you
⚫ have undertaken to plead for, and, if I
underſtand you right, you are to be
unhappy, if your Friend fucceeds. I
cannot but eſteem a Perſon, who could
plead fo warmly as you have done for
a Cauſe, that he could only be made
happy by lofing; and there appears
no Reafon to me, why I fhould facri-
•fice the Péace of a Perfon I efteem, to
the Requeſt of one, concerning whom
< my Heart or my Thoughts are not at
all intereſted. You muſt pardon me,
Sir, if I make it a Condition of my
feeing this Gentleman again, that I
• hear firſt from you, with all that Sin-
cerity with which you have hitherto
fpoken, what it is that fo immediately
concerns you in the Succefs of this
Attempt.'
<
<
C
L..
THE Vifiter pleaded very earneftly the
Impoffibility of his explaining himfelf
to her on that Head: He told her,
it would not be honeft; that it
were betraying his Truft in the baſeſt
• Manner, even for interefted Views,
and being the Enemy of the Man who
claim'd and merited his Friendſhip,
• and
،
6
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 261
C
< and to whom he had engag'd himſelf
as a Friend. He begged her to par-
don and excufe him, and not to re-
member, that in his Warmth for the
Caufe, in his Eagerness to be believed,
he had dropp'd thro' Inadvertance a
Word that feem'd to make against it.
f
C
MRS. Conqueft replied, Still, Sir, I
fee you are the fame worthy and difin-
tereſted Man. I applaud, and ſhall
always eſteem, you for it: But you
will pardon me, that I find myſelf
C now concerned in the Circumftance;
and that I tell you, as I at preſent can
have no Pain in refufing to recieve your
Friend's Vifits, I will not give you
any by receiving them, nor engage
my Thoughts any farther, on a Sub-
ject in which I fee Perplexities and
Intricacies that will but ill bear un-
ravelling.'
."
<
<
THE Lady perfifted in her Reſolution,
and the utmoſt that the Vifiter could
prevail with her to grant, was, that him-
felf, not his Friend, fhould fee her again
in the Afternoon.
1
CHAP.
262 The ADVENTURES of
CHA P. XV.
A Lady is introduced to Mrs Conqueft's
Acquaintance.
W
HEN the Reader fhall have
gone thro' this fhort Chapter,
he will find that it is hardly poffible to
conceive a more nice or difficult Part
than Mr Spenfe had to act on this Occa-
fion. He returned to his Friend, and
refolutely refuſed to give him any far-
ther Account of the Succefs of his Vifit,
than that he was to repeat it in four or
five Hours: The vifible Anxiety and
Uneafineſs in the Face of this Gentle-
man, during the Period of his fhort
Stay, for he could by no means be pre-
vailed with to remain longer, than
juſt to give this Account of his Expe-
dition, gave our Hero but a very bad
Prefage of his Succefs; he took his
Leave of him at the Door, full of new
Thoughts of Mifs Sedate, and cou'd not
refrain from telling him, he believed it
was hardly worth his while to go to the
other again.
THE
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 263
THE Hour of vifiting approached;
Mrs Conquest was as impatient for an
Explanation, as the Reader may poffi-
bly be by this time; a Rap at the Door
proclaimed the Arrival of Company; and
a Minute after appear'd Mr. Spenfe, and
in his Hand a beautiful young Creature,
whofe unaffected Modefty ftruck the
Lady, at firft Sight, in a very favourable
Manner.
.
C
•
•
THE Servants were no fooner dif
mifs'd, than Mr Spenfe began: You
infifted, Madam, on my explaining
an unlucky Slip of my Tongue this
Morning. You will fay I am a Vil-
• lain, when I have comply'd ; but I can
fooner bear that Sentence, than totally
< ruin my Friend's Cauſe, by refuſing to
do it. I am to begin, by telling you
• I am myſelf all a Cheat; but 'tis from
honeft, honourable Motives. My
Name is not Spenfe, but Wentworth,
this Lady is my Niece: He who is
now your Lover, perhaps once was
her's. Imagine not that either fhe or I
have any thing to accufe him of: We
• only can gueſs that he honour'd her
with his Efteem, the Match wou'd
• have
<
.264
The ADVENTURES of
6
C
<
<
•
.
<
have been unequal, and he obey'd his
Father, in leaving her and his native
Country to make this Voyage to Eng-
land. That no Thoughts of his un-
lucky Paffion for her might give him,
Difquiet, or prevent his purfuing
every Step his Father had plan'd out
for him, I, at her Requeft, inform'd
<him he was dead. I love and honour
him for his whole Behaviour in this
difficult Scene, and have attended
him to England unknown even to
himſelf, as any way concern'd in this
Lady's Cauſe, only determin'd to do
every thing to ferve him. I had not
< been here ten Days, before another
Ship arriv'd, in which the unhappy
Girl was a Paffenger: She has been
with me ever fince; but ſhe has never
even wifh'd to fee him, as it wou'd
have laid an Imputation on me of
having poorly contriv'd a Scene for
his Deftruction. I think the wou'd
rather fee him more happy with ano-
ther, than lefs fo with herfelf: I have
brought her to affure you, Madam,
• that ſhe has no Right, no Pretenfions,
to a Thought of him; and, when you
have been inform'd of that, to tell
you that the Mifery it must be to me
<
<
<
<
3
to
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 265
C
to fee fo worthy a Creature unhappy,
• was the Motive I felt for wifhing this
deferving, this amiable, young Man
might not fucceed in his Addreffes to
you, even while I was urging every
Circumftance poffible in his Favour.'
.
C
<
.
<
દ
<
C
Mifs Wentworth was filent during this
whole Relation, but Tears, more elo-
quent than Words, pleaded her Caufe
fo powerfully in the Breaft of Mrs Con-
quest, that when at length fhe fummon'd
Strength enough to fay, Indeed, Ma-
dam, I am neither deferving of him,
nor have any Right to the leaft favou-
rable Thought from him :' That Lady
anſwered, That I will never rob you of
him, is moft certain. I can have no
Partiality for a Man I have barely
feen; and if I had, I fhould be bafe
not to facrifice it to fo infinitely bet-
ter founded and moře rational
• Claim. I almoft envy him the Hap-
pineſs he muſt have in calling you his
Wife, and, that Gentleman his Rela-
tion; but I beg of you both, that I may
have fome Share in the bringing it
• about.' Mr Wentworth, continued
fhe, fend inftantly to tell your Friend
I fhall be glad to fee him, and leave
.
.
N
a
• this
266 The ADVENTURES of
this Lady with me to receive him :
• Be not under any Apprehenfions that
• I can change my Refolution. I ſhould
even defpife him for not giving me
up to fuch a Paffion, if he could be
Wretch enough to heſitate about it.'
THE Lady was peremptory in her
Commands; the Niece more than con-
fented to the Propofal, and the Uncle
went himſelf to fend the Lover. A
thouſand Times in his Way thither he
had a Mind to diſcloſe the whole to
him, but this would have been betray-
ing the Confidence Mrs Conqueft had re-
pofed in him; not to mention another
Confideration, that, in fpite of all his
hardy Virtue, would have it's Weight
with him: He at length refolved to de-
liver his Meffage punctually, and with-
out Addition; and the Lover, who lit-
tle expected fo favourable a one, much
leſs imagin'd the real Purport of it, ſet
off for Scotland-yard on the Inftant, in
very vifible Raptures.
CHAP,
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 267
CHA P. XVI.
Our Hero's Fate determin'd in a Manner
very unexpected to himself.
MR
RS Conquest had placed both
Mifs Wentworth and herſelf full
in the Lover's View, as he came into
the Room: He ſtarted a Moment as he
enter'd the Door, but he made only
one Step from it to the Place where his
first Love fat: He funk tenderly upon
her Neck, and was imprinting a thou-
fand Kiffes, and faying ten thouſand ten-
der Things to her, without perceiving
that ſhe was a motionlefs Statue in his
Arms. Mrs Conqueft, who had fup-
pofed fuch an Event natural enough to
be expected, was better prepared for it;
and while the Lover was raving out,
C
Was it only my fond Imagination that
• thou wert reftor'd to Life; art thou
dead, as I have all this time thought
thee?' Her Servants made fo good ufe
of cold Water, the Harts-horn Bottle,
and the other Family Remedies ufual on
thefe Occafions, that the brighteſt Eyes
in the World open'd again, and gave,
while they receiv'd it, a Happineſs that,
as
268 The ADVENTURES of
as fcarce any body has been the Object
of fuch a Surprize, ſcarce any body can
form an adequate Idea of.
A FRESH Profufion of Tenderneſs
now found it's Way from our Lover,
and he had exhaufted every Source of
Tranſport, before he was at Leiſure to
remember in whofe Houſe he was, and
under what Circumftances.
He was
going to look grave, but Mrs Conqueſt
fav'd him the Trouble of an Apology,
by telling what fhe fhould have thought
of him, if he had not given Occaſion
for one; and concluded with faying,
Sir, I have no Right or Title to give
up in you to this Lady, but, if I had,
I would refign it.'
<
LITTLE Ceremony was neceffary be-
tween two People, who by this time
knew one another's Minds fo well as our
new-met Lovers. Mr Wentworth and
Mrs Conquest had the Pleaſure of feeing
the Ceremony performed in two or three
Days. When the new-marry'd People
had revell'd a Month in perfect Happi-
nefs in Town, it was judg'd proper to
think of returning to their native Coun-
try.
The young Gentleman arrived
there
Mr George Edwards, a Creole. 269
there two Days after the Death of his
Father: He found himſelf in Poffeffion
of a very ample Fortune, though not
quite fo magnificent a one as had been
repreſented; and he was no fooner
convinc'd of the Villany of his Uncle,
in the Uſe he had made of his Neceffi-
ties, than he came to a Refolution of
repaying him the borrowed Money,
with lawful Intereft only: This the old
Gentleman was oblig'd to accept; and
after heartily curfing his whole Family,
and all the Relations in the World, he
left it, at his Death, which happen'd,
about eight Months afterwards, to the
faithful Ruth.
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